The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has firmly rejected claims that it is considering the destruction of six million uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
In a statement shared on its official X account (@inecnigeria), the commission urged the public to disregard a report published by a newspaper, which suggested that INEC was mulling over a policy to withdraw and dispose of PVCs that have remained unclaimed for up to ten years.
The report claimed that the proposal was part of a broader review of the 2023 general elections, and suggested that uncollected PVCs—some dating back to 2015—were clogging the voter management system. It also stated that stakeholders in the review recommended this drastic step to address the backlog of unclaimed cards, starting with those issued nearly a decade ago.
However, INEC swiftly countered these assertions, emphasizing in its statement: “Our attention has been drawn to a newspaper report suggesting the commission is considering the destruction of over six million uncollected PVCs dating back to 2015. This report is inaccurate. At no point has the commission entertained any plan to destroy uncollected PVCs. The public is advised to disregard this misinformation.”
