Nigerians may soon be able to vote without a Permanent Voter Card (PVC), but only if the law allows it.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it’s open to letting voters use other means of identification during elections. However, this plan depends on a change in Nigeria’s current electoral laws.
Rotimi Oyekanmi, who speaks for the INEC Chairman, said this in an interview on Wednesday, April 23.
“The law needs to be amended to reflect it,” he said. “It is not our stand alone that is important. Equally critical is what the subsisting law says.”
INEC has been working on expanding voter access using technology. Officials say they want to make voting easier, cheaper, and more secure.
The idea first came up in December 2024, when INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, spoke to Resident Electoral Commissioners during a meeting in Abuja.
INEC Wants Tech to Lead in Future Elections
Yakubu said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is already helping to clean up Nigeria’s elections. He believes it can do even more.
“The commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed,” he explained.
INEC is considering the use of digital or printed voter slips. These slips could be downloaded from the INEC website or printed at registration centers.
“Those who already have the PVCs can still use them to vote,” Yakubu said. “But going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation.”
This new method would help save costs, ease logistics, and reduce vote suppression. Some politicians have been accused of buying PVCs from voters just to stop them from voting.
“This will not only save cost, it will also eliminate the issues around the collection of PVCs and the diabolical practice of buying up the cards from voters in order to disenfranchise them,” Yakubu added.
Will the National Assembly Approve
Although INEC supports the move, it can’t implement it on its own. Lawmakers at the National Assembly would have to amend the Electoral Act.
This proposed change could make the 2027 general elections more inclusive, especially for those who couldn’t get or collect their PVCs in time.
Oyekanmi said the commission is waiting on legal backing before taking action.
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