The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed dates for the collection of Permanent Voters Cards in all the 774 local government offices of the Commission nationwide.

The Commission fixed Monday 12 December 2022 to Sunday 22 January 2023 as the dates for the collection of PVCs.

Disclosing this in a statement on Friday, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the Commission came up with the dates after deliberation on a number of issues on Thursday

“The Commission met on Thursday, 1st December 2022, and deliberated on a number of issues, including the dates for the collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) nationwide,” INEC said.

“It will be recalled that the Commission held a retreat in Lagos with all the Administrative Secretaries and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory from 28th November to 2nd December 2022. At the retreat, the Commission finalized the procedure as well as the timetable for the collection of PVCs.

“Consequently, the Commission has fixed Monday 12 December 2022 to Sunday 22 January 2023 as the dates for the collection of PVCs in all the 774 Local Government Offices of the Commission throughout the Federation.

“The Commission also resolved to devolve PVC collection to the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from Friday 6th to Sunday 15th January 2023. Those that are unable to collect their PVCs at the Local Government Offices of the Commission can do so at the Registration Areas/Electoral Wards. After the 15th of January 2023, the exercise will revert to the Local Government Offices of the Commission until the 22nd of January 2023.

“All eligible and valid registrants can collect their PVCs from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.

“All the RECs and Electoral Officers (EOs) have been directed to convene a meeting with the critical stakeholders in their States and Local Government Areas, including traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups, community-based organizations, and the media to brief them on the modalities for the collection of the PVCs in order to sensitize the public and ensure seamless exercise.

In his remarks, Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of, the Information and Voter Education Committee, appealed to the media to continue to assist the commission to fight misinformation.
Okoye said with 84 days to the general election, the spread of fake news and misinformation on the electoral process had become worrisome.
He said there is a need for the media to assist in tackling the menace of false information for a successful general election in 2023. trants with complaints about their PVCs or with the PVC collection procedure for immediate redress.

“The Commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians, especially those who registered as voters or applied for transfer/replacement of their cards from January to July 2022. In making the cards available for collection, the Commission is also working to ensure that the process is simple and hitch-free.”

INEC Seeks NCC’s Help in Poor Network Areas

Meanwhile, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that, The commission is working with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to resolve network issues that may arise in poor network areas over uploading of results for the 2023 elections.

The Chairman of the Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed the overture to the NCC yesterday during a one-day strategic interactive session with journalists in Lagos.

The proposition to NCC follows concerns raised by Nigerians on the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in areas with poor networks.Yakubu said the commission would meet with the NCC next Tuesday to discuss mobile network issues that may affect the transmission of results in such areas.He added that Nigerians have nothing to worry about regarding the effectiveness of result transmission during the 2023 elections using the BVAS.

INEC had earlier stated that, Presidential and National Assembly elections have been slated for February 25, 2023, while governorship and state assembly elections will be held on March 11, 2023.