2023: 1.85 million PVCs ready, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday said about 45 per cent of completed voter registrations across the country are invalid.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the ongoing voter registration exercise at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, said “presently, nearly 45 per cent of completed registrations nationwide are invalid, rising to as high as 60 per cent or more in some states.

“This infraction happened in all states of the Federation. No State is immune from it.

“These invalid registrations will not be included in the Register of Voters. This development is worrisome because of the time and resources expended in handling these cases”, he added.

The INEC boss stated that the electoral umpire remained committed to transparency in the distribution of the registration figures, including the percentages of valid and invalid registrations on a state-by-state basis.

He lamented that the troubling issue of invalid registrations still persists as they were detected while cleaning up the latest registration data.

Yakubu explained that the commission introduced the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) – a more comprehensive and robust system, involving not just fingerprint identification but also facial biometric recognition.

He warned against the re-registration of eligible voters by INEC staff, stressing that any official aiding the process would be prosecuted.

“Even more disturbing are the strong indications that some of our staff may be complicit in facilitating these infractions, notwithstanding stern warnings,” the INEC boss stressed.

“Consequently, the commission is reviewing reports on such staff and has commenced a detailed investigation which may include the prosecution of those found culpable.

“Specific registrants associated with these infractions by our staff may also face prosecution in line with Sections 22 and 23 of the Electoral Act 2022.”

The INEC chairman revealed that after completing the data clean-up, the electoral umpire has printed 1,390,519 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for genuine new registrants.

In addition, he stated that 464,340 PVCs for verified applicants for transfer or replacement of cards have also been printed.

Yakubu put the total number of PVCs ready for collection at 1,854,859, saying they would be delivered to INEC state offices across the country over the Easter holiday.