The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, Engr. Aderemi Oseni, has urged eligible voters across the district and the state to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) begins distributing newly printed cards ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Oseni, who represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He urged eligible voters who participated in the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), transferred their polling units or applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to take advantage of the exercise and collect their cards.

Oseni said the commencement of the distribution exercise was an important opportunity for eligible voters to complete the process ahead of the 2027 elections, urging them not to wait until the final days before collecting their cards.

“Democracy is not sustained by the demand for good governance alone; it also depends on the willingness of citizens to participate responsibly in the process of choosing their leaders.

“I therefore urge every eligible voter to collect their PVC and exercise their civic responsibility. No citizen should wait until the last moment before taking this important step,” he said.

The call comes as INEC commences the distribution and collection of 77,015 newly printed PVCs across Oyo State from Friday, October 9, to Thursday, October 15, 2026.

The exercise will take place at the state’s 351 Registration Areas and wards between 9am and 3pm daily, including weekends.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, Prof. Adeniran Tella, said the commission would also make available unclaimed PVCs printed ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Oseni commended INEC for making the newly printed cards available ahead of the 2027 elections, saying eligible voters should take advantage of the exercise to obtain their cards in good time.

He also urged the electoral commission to ensure that the collection process remained transparent, accessible and orderly, while addressing avoidable difficulties that could discourage eligible voters.

“Every eligible voter should be given a fair and easy opportunity to collect their PVC. A smooth process will encourage more people to participate in the democratic process,” he added.

The federal lawmaker further urged INEC to sustain its efforts to improve access to PVCs and ensure that no eligible voter across Oyo State is left out of the electoral process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission will on Friday begin the distribution and collection of 77,015 newly printed Permanent Voter Cards across Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The exercise, which will run from October 9 to 15, will be conducted at the 351 registration areas and wards across the state.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo State, Prof. Adeniran Tella, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Tella said the exercise would hold daily, including weekends, between 9am and 3pm.

He explained that the exercise would cover newly printed PVCs as well as unclaimed cards printed ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The REC urged eligible voters to visit their respective registration areas during the seven-day exercise to collect their cards.

He also appealed to members of the public to disregard information circulating online suggesting that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise was still ongoing.

According to him, the CVR exercise ended on July 26, 2026.

Tella said those expected to benefit from the current exercise included newly registered voters, persons who had lost their PVCs, voters who requested transfers from one polling unit to another, and those whose cards were damaged or defaced during the last CVR exercise.

He said the collection of PVCs would continue at INEC offices in the 33 local government areas of the state after the seven-day exercise at the registration areas and wards.

The same collection hours of 9am to 3pm would apply at the local government offices, he added.

Tella further assured residents that the commission would receive additional batches of newly printed PVCs for distribution in the state.

He therefore urged eligible voters and other stakeholders to take advantage of the exercise and ensure that their PVCs were collected ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has said the recent commendation of President Bola Tinubu by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has raised fresh questions about the political platform backing Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s 2027 presidential ambition.

The organisation described Mohammed’s remarks as a contradiction that could undermine the argument being advanced by Makinde and his supporters for a change of leadership at the federal level.

Mohammed, who is the national leader of the Allied Peoples Movement, the platform on which Makinde is seeking the presidency, had publicly acknowledged that Tinubu had “done so well” in some key areas, particularly finance, health and security.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, Bisi Oladele, said the Bauchi governor’s comments were significant given his position within the political structure supporting Makinde’s presidential bid.

Oladele said it was difficult to reconcile Mohammed’s commendation of the President with the argument that Nigerians needed to replace Tinubu in 2027.

“The question Nigerians should now ask is simple: if one of the principal promoters of Makinde’s presidential ambition truthfully admits that President Tinubu is doing well, what exactly is the justification for Makinde asking Nigerians to replace the President?” the statement read.

The campaign organisation said Mohammed deserved commendation for acknowledging what he considered positive aspects of the Federal Government’s performance instead of opposing the administration on every issue.

It argued that the governor’s remarks had also exposed what it described as contradictions within the political coalition around Makinde.

The organisation recalled that Mohammed had previously backed Makinde’s presidential aspiration and spoken positively about his leadership qualities.

It therefore questioned whether the political coalition supporting the Oyo governor had a sufficiently coherent position on the performance of the Tinubu administration.

“Even more instructive is the fact that Governor Mohammed had previously endorsed Makinde and described him as the leader Nigeria needed,” the statement said.

“His latest acknowledgement of President Tinubu’s performance therefore raises legitimate political questions about the cohesion, conviction and sustainability of the so-called coalition behind Makinde.”

The Alli campaign organisation further alleged that Makinde’s presidential ambition could be part of a broader political bargaining strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.

It said the Oyo governor’s presidential aspiration appeared to be serving as a means of strengthening his negotiating position as political alliances and permutations ahead of 2027 continue to take shape.

“We have always maintained that Makinde’s so-called presidential ambition appears less like a serious pathway to Aso Rock and more like a political bargaining chip designed to enhance his negotiating position in the unfolding 2027 political equation,” it said.

The organisation also questioned the strength of Makinde’s campaign, arguing that presidential politics would ultimately depend on political structures, alliances, organisation and public support.

“Makinde may continue to erect billboards, commission campaign offices and make grandiose declarations about ‘resetting’ Nigeria, but politics is ultimately about structures, numbers, credibility and alliances,” it said.

The campaign organisation, however, acknowledged Makinde’s constitutional right to contest the presidency but urged him to concentrate more on his record as governor of Oyo State.

It said issues including infrastructure, education, healthcare, the state’s finances, the local economy and workers’ welfare should also form part of the assessment of his administration.

“The people of Oyo State are more interested in his legacy—the state’s debt profile, the condition of the local economy, infrastructure, education, healthcare and the welfare of workers—than in a presidential adventure whose political foundations are already crumbling,” the statement added.

It concluded that while Makinde was entitled to pursue his presidential ambition, ambition alone should not be confused with national acceptance or political viability.

“Governor Makinde is free to aspire to the highest office in the land. That is his constitutional right. But he should not mistake ambition for viability, publicity for popularity or political bargaining for a genuine national movement,” the organisation said.