The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that newly registered voters will begin collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from October 9, 2026, as the commission intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.
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Those who registered during the latest Continuous Voter Registration exercise will be able to collect their newly printed cards, while eligible voters who registered previously but are yet to collect their PVCs will also have an opportunity to do so.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, disclosed the development in Kaduna during the commission’s North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election.
The Kaduna engagement is the second leg of INEC’s planned six-zone nationwide readiness tour, following an earlier meeting in Lagos for the South-West.
The exercise is intended to assess the commission’s preparedness at the field level, identify operational challenges and develop practical solutions before the general elections.
The assessment covers activities at Local Government Area offices, Registration Area Centres and polling units, where INEC officials will have direct contact with voters during the elections.
Amupitan used the meeting to issue a strong warning to Electoral Officers, Heads of Departments and senior administrative officials against partisanship, negligence and unethical conduct.
“Partisan leaning, administrative negligence, or compromised ethics will not be tolerated. Every officer must understand that protecting INEC’s institutional integrity is non-negotiable,” he said.
According to the INEC chairman, the conduct, competence and character of personnel deployed to the field could either protect the commission against false narratives surrounding elections or contribute to distrust and misinformation.
He warned that administrative lapses, delays and perceived bias could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
“When a polling unit opens late, when an officer displays nonchalance or perceived bias, or when technical glitches are met with silence, we inadvertently validate the cynics, deepen voter apathy, and fuel disinformation,” Amupitan said.
He reminded officials of the oath of loyalty and neutrality required under Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026, saying electoral officials and security personnel must discharge their responsibilities without favouring any candidate or political party.
“The question must never be ‘Who will benefit from this decision?’ but always ‘What does the law require me to do?’” he said.
Amupitan also warned INEC personnel against improvising or adopting unofficial shortcuts in the administration of elections.
He said procedures laid down in the Electoral Act 2026, the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2026 and guidelines governing political parties must be followed strictly, while operational problems should be escalated through established institutional channels.
The INEC chairman stressed that neither modern technology nor a sound legal framework would, by itself, guarantee credible elections if officials responsible for implementation failed to apply the law faithfully.
“The credibility of an election depends on how faithfully the law is implemented by the officials entrusted with its administration,” he said.
He added: “To the voter in a local ward, INEC is not the Chairman in Abuja; INEC is you.”
Amupitan urged officials to know the law, understand their responsibilities, remain neutral and document their actions, stressing that administrative decisions taken during the election process must be capable of withstanding public scrutiny and judicial review.
Explaining why he was personally leading the zonal engagements alongside National Commissioners and directors, Amupitan said INEC was moving away from a longstanding practice in which similar preparations were largely handled through delegated structures.
“I am here with you in person, accompanied by National Commissioners and Directors, because I firmly believe that the true success of any election is not decided solely in the meeting rooms of our headquarters in Abuja. It is decided in the field,” he said.
He said the commission was drawing lessons from recent off-cycle elections as it prepares for the much larger nationwide exercise in 2027.
Amupitan also addressed staff welfare and logistics, saying INEC was at an advanced stage of implementing a new salary and welfare package.
According to him, the commission established the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS) with effect from January 1, 2026, moving its workforce away from the regular civil service salary structure.
He also said overhead allocations to state offices were increased from July 1, 2026.
INEC has similarly begun procuring and distributing new operational pick-up vehicles to state offices and Local Government Areas across the country to improve staff mobility, security and operational efficiency.
Supervising National Commissioner for Kaduna, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the zonal meeting was intended to mobilise staff and strengthen the commission’s preparations for the general elections.
He also appealed to traditional rulers to encourage eligible voters to collect their PVCs and exercise their right to vote.
Director of Planning and Monitoring, Helen Ajayi, said the zonal assessment was designed to determine the preparedness of states, identify operational shortcomings and ensure that personnel remained aligned with INEC’s Code of Conduct.
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