The Independent National Electoral Commission is considering a proposal to withdraw and destroy Permanent Voter Cards that remain uncollected for up to a decade.
This suggestion emerged from the commission’s review of the 2023 general elections and forms part of 208 recommendations to improve the electoral process.
The issue of uncollected PVCs has persisted, with over six million cards still unclaimed as of the 2023 elections, some dating as far back as 2015.
To address this, stakeholders in the review recommended that INEC implement a policy to withdraw and destroy PVCs that have been uncollected for extended periods, starting with those issued in 2015.
The reasoning behind this is that these cards are unlikely to be claimed, and retaining them clutters the voter management system.
INEC had initially set a deadline for PVC collection to end on January 22, 2023, but extended it to February 5, 2023, after a large number of voters failed to collect their cards.
To facilitate the process, INEC made provisions for PVC collection at the ward level between January 6 and 15, 2023.
Despite these efforts and online tools created to assist voters in locating their cards, more than six million PVCs remained uncollected, many of which were issued years ago.
As part of its effort to manage this backlog, the commission is considering withdrawing the PVCs issued in 2015, as it seems unlikely the owners will ever collect them.
Beyond dealing with uncollected PVCs, INEC is also exploring plans to modernize Nigeria’s electoral system, including the eventual phasing out of PVCs and the introduction of diaspora voting. With the adoption of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, the need for PVCs may be reduced.
The BVAS allows for biometric voter accreditation, such as fingerprints or facial recognition, which would make the physical PVC unnecessary.
Voters could instead use computer-generated slips or credentials from INEC’s website. However, implementing this change would require amending Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which currently mandates the presentation of the PVC for accreditation.
Political parties have voiced differing opinions regarding INEC’s proposal to destroy uncollected PVCs.
The National Legal Adviser of the Labour Party, Kehinde Edun, supports the move, arguing that many uncollected PVCs are likely the result of irregularities during the registration process.
He believes that such a policy would help declutter the voter register, especially if it is confirmed that many registrants have passed away.
He stated, “I am sure most of those uncollected PVCs must have been as a result of irregularities in the process of registration and all that. If truly people register to vote and register as eligible electorate, they must have collected over a long period, after being given enough time. But I believe no system is perfect. So I think destroying them may be in order. If people have not collected over a long period, there is a likelihood those lapses were the result of some irregularities in the process of registration.”
Conversely, the Peoples Democratic Party raised concerns, viewing the destruction of PVCs as another potential distraction by INEC.
The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, suggested that Nigerians’ reluctance to collect their PVCs stems from a loss of trust in INEC’s ability to conduct credible elections.
He remarked, “How do you contemplate destroying cards produced with billions of taxpayers’ money because INEC has failed the credibility and integrity test that has made millions of Nigerians lose faith in the commission’s ability to organise free, fair and credible elections? I urge INEC to, as a matter of immediate action, begin an image laundering and rebranding campaign to convince Nigerians and stakeholders that the commission is ready to be truly independent in spelling, actions and character.”
The New Nigeria People’s Party also advised INEC to reconsider its plan to destroy the uncollected PVCs, warning that it would be a waste of resources.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, argued, “If people register and haven’t come to collect over a long period of time unless they know those people have passed on, I think the cards should not be destroyed as long as they are in safekeeping. If you destroy about six million PVCs, and all of a sudden, some of the owners show up and want to vote, it will cost God-knows-how-much to register them again. It’s a waste of money.”
However, some Senior Advocates of Nigeria support INEC’s decision to destroy the uncollected PVCs, stating there are no legal barriers to such a move.
A former Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, speculated that many of the uncollected PVCs might result from double registrations.
He argued, “They (uncollected PVCs) are taking space. My suspicion is that the owners don’t exist. It is double fraudulent registration by a lot of people. Just as I am sure that we are not up to 200 million neither do I believe that we are up to 90 million registered voters when only 20 percent of that is always voting. There is a lot of fake information and fake facts in this country and I’m sure this is part of it. So, let them destroy the uncollected PVCs.”
Another SAN, Sam Erugo, expressed a similar view, asserting, “The PVCs have been uncollected over time, so I don’t see anything wrong in them destroying them because not collecting them means something is definitely wrong with the owners. Either they are dead or they are duplication. Now, that brings the question whether eligible voters have voters card or that will impede their right to vote or not. That is a different question altogether but if they have uncollected voter cards, of course, they have a right to destroy them because that will help stop people from using them to rig elections. Given that they are uncollected, they are useless already and money has been wasted already.”
On the other hand, Paul Obi (SAN) opposed the destruction of the PVCs, calling for greater awareness to ensure that the owners collect their cards.
He asked, “What is the basis for destroying six million voters cards? Even if they are uncollected, they belong to Nigerians who are also supposed to use them in the next election and they spent money in producing them. I think greater awareness should be created for people who own those PVCs to collect them. It doesn’t make sense spending money and next time they will still have to produce PVCs for those people who own them. More awareness should be done for collection.”
However, the debate over whether INEC should destroy uncollected PVCs remains contentious, with some advocating for the move to streamline the voter register and prevent fraud, while others urge greater efforts to raise awareness and avoid wasting resources.
The final decision will likely impact the future of Nigeria’s electoral system.
