The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) cannot be printed outside its offices, even for applicants who pre-register online during the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
INEC’s Director of ICT, Bayode Lawrence, explained that while applicants can submit their details online, the process is incomplete without physical biometric capture at designated INEC centres.
“For now, you can’t sort everything at home because we still need to capture your biometrics. If we are able to capture your biometrics online, then there will be no need to go to those centres. You will just do everything at home and you will be done. But we still need to capture your fingerprint biometric, so that is the essence for you to come to the centre for your fingerprint biometric to be captured,” Lawrence said on Wednesday.
He stressed that the requirement for physical presence is essential to ensure the integrity of the voter register and to prevent manipulation or duplication of records.
According to him, INEC is collaborating with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to eventually integrate data from the national identification system into future CVR exercises.
Lawrence also noted that Nigerians without internet access could complete registration physically at their local government INEC offices.
Additionally, he said a module on the INEC portal allows voters with damaged PVCs to report issues, update their details, and obtain replacement cards directly from the commission.
