You Cannot Vote Without PVC, Says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says no one will be allowed to vote during the elections without a valid permanent voter card (PVC).

This goes contrary to speculations making the rounds that those who could not collect their PVCs could vote on election day. The fake message that registered voters who could not get their PVCs can still vote in the elections circulated few days ago.

“Even if you are registered but couldn’t get your PVC, go to http://cvr.inecnigeria.org/vvs, type in your State, LGA, your last name and first name, your date of birth and send,” the message purported to have been sent by INEC claimed.

“Print out your displayed info, go to your polling unit on election day, present it to INEC Officials during accreditation and they will allow you to thumbprint on BVAS, which will confirm you by bringing out that same info you are holding, then, you are accredited to vote.”

The Director Voter Education and Publicity of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Victor Aluko, has restated that no one will be allowed to vote without their Permanent Voter Cards.

Aluko, who was speaking on Channels Television’s The 2023 Verdict on Friday evening, said the commission had not reviewed its position, describing as fake news, reports that people could approach the polling units without their voter cards.

“INEC has not reviewed that slogan. No PVC, no voting. It still subsists. And we have been drumming into the ears of Nigerians, that they should please ignore these social media posts that are circulating everywhere. Today, when our chairman was responding, he just said it’s fake news. And of course, there are a lot of fake news around today.

“At election periods like these, we should let Nigerians have the facts, the basic facts, so that it would help their participation. If you do not have the PVC, you cannot even come to our polling units. The election officials will not allow you to join the queue. And if you want to forcefully come into the place, the Presiding Officer will inform the security agencies to deal with the person.

“So, it is good that we deal with the facts, it is good that we follow what INEC has said, rather than what some fake INEC officials are saying. No PVC, no voting. PVC is at the centre of our operations.”

Aluko also said that the commission was expecting only the 87.2 million voters who had their PVCs at the polls, adding that those who could not get the cards, would have to wait to vote at the next elections cycle.

“87.2 million Nigerians have PVCs, out of 93.4 million registered voters. Those are the people we are expecting in our polling units. Anybody who was not able to collect the PVC, it is not a crime. In future, they can still collect their PVCs and vote, life continues, there will be life after these elections.

“During the CVR, we encouraged those who lost their cards, even those whose cards were spoilt, just tell us in INEC, we will give you another one free of charge. So, those who did so, got new cards. Anybody who did not do so, did not want to do, and so in future they can still do that.

“If out of the 87.2 million Nigerians who have PVCs, if we can get 80% of them to vote tomorrow, that will be a great thing for the country. We are ready to receive them at our polling units. So, we are preparing for those who have PVCs, and we are not really bothered at this time, about those who do not have PVCs. So, if you don’t have PVC, don’t even come to the polling unit,” he said.

Somto Bisina