The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to statement making the rounds that people can vote even without a permanent voters card (PVC).
Speaking at an induction retreat for new resident electoral commissioners (INEC) in Lagos on Wednesday, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, said such information is misleading and false.
Mahmood said the statement is untrue, adding that a citizen must be a registered voter issued with a PVC to be able to vote.
“The commission has consistently maintained the policy of “no PVC, no voting”. Nothing has changed. It is a legal requirement and doing otherwise will be a violation of the law,” he said.
“I appeal to Nigerians to ignore any suggestion to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that a person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a presiding officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.
“Therefore, the position of the law is clear. The PVC remains a mandatory requirement for voting during elections.”
Speaking on recent attacks on INEC offices, the chairman also said there’s a limit to its ability to keep replacing destroyed election materials before the 2023 polls.