The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced October 9, 2026, as the commencement date for the nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The announcement was made in Kaduna during INEC’s North-West Zonal Interactive Meeting with staff and readiness assessment for the 2027 elections.
The Supervising National Commissioner for Kaduna, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had earlier communicated the PVC collection schedule to the Emir of Zazzau during a courtesy visit.
Haruna urged traditional rulers to mobilise eligible citizens in their communities to collect their PVCs and participate in the electoral process.
He also identified potential administrative challenges, including delays in opening polling units, perceived bias among officials and inadequate responses to technical difficulties, as issues that could affect public confidence in the electoral process and create opportunities for disinformation.
Amupitan said the Kaduna engagement formed part of a six-zone interactive meeting and readiness assessment tour being conducted by the commission ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to him, the performance of INEC during previous elections had raised expectations for the 2027 polls, which will be conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Helen Ajayi, explained that the zonal meetings were designed to assess the preparedness of states, identify operational challenges before election day and ensure that INEC personnel across the zone remained committed to the commission’s code of conduct.
INEC has also recorded more than 10.7 million new registrations from the recent Continuous Voter Registration exercise, according to the commission’s latest briefing.
