By The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will begin on Friday, October 9, 2026, as the number of registered voters in Nigeria rises above 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a strategic workshop organised for media executives in collaboration with Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
Amupitan said more than 10.6 million Nigerians participated in the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise conducted by the commission.
He added that INEC had completed the public display of the Preliminary Register of Voters for claims and objections, as well as the final Automated Biometric Identification System cleanup of the register.
The chairman urged eligible Nigerians to participate in the PVC collection exercise, stressing that the commission was taking steps to strengthen the credibility and transparency of the 2027 electoral process.
He said INEC was also working to improve the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal to enhance the accreditation and transmission of election results.
According to Amupitan, however, technology and operational efficiency alone would not guarantee credible elections, as public confidence remained critical to the success of the electoral process.
“The ultimate arbiter of electoral integrity is public trust,” he said.
The INEC chairman also called for closer cooperation with media organisations and civil society groups to tackle misinformation and improve access to reliable electoral information.
He urged newsrooms to establish dedicated fact-checking desks and said INEC would provide editors with channels to verify information concerning incidents, logistics and security during the election period.
President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba, said the workshop was important as Nigeria approaches another general election, stressing that citizens must have confidence that their votes would count.
Anaba urged journalists and editors to uphold accuracy, fairness and balance in their coverage of the electoral process.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, identified misinformation and disinformation as major threats to voter participation, urging the media to ensure citizens receive accurate information ahead of PVC collection.
Other speakers at the workshop also called for stronger fact-checking and ethical reporting, warning that deepfakes, unofficial election results and information disorder could undermine public confidence in the 2027 elections.
The workshop examined issues including election technology, electoral security, enforcement of electoral laws, misinformation, responsible reporting and inclusive participation as stakeholders began preparations for the 2027 electoral cycle.
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