The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is to review the use of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on election day.
INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the commission’s meeting with resident electoral commissioners and the unveiling of the hard copies of the Election Report and the Review Report for the 2023 general election.
Mr Yakubu said that the intention for the review followed some of the recommendations contained in the review reports.
He said the commission believed that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the use of PVC as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on election day should be reviewed.
“Those who already have the PVCs can still use them to vote, but going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation.
“This will not only save cost, it will also eliminate the issues around the collection of PVCs and the diabolical practice of buying up the cards from voters, in order to disenfranchise them,” the INEC chief said.
Mr Yakubu said that having released its 524-page main report on the election, INEC had wide internal consultation with its officials and externally with all major stakeholders.
He said that from the internal and external engagements, INEC identified 142 recommendations dealing with various aspects of the election, of which 86 required administrative action by INEC.
“This is followed by 48 recommendations that require action by a variety of stakeholders, including security agencies; mobile network operators; statutory bodies; political parties; transport unions; civil society organisations and the media.
“On the legal review, there are eight recommendations that require legislative action by the National Assembly. Very soon, the commission will make a presentation to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters as they continue to deliberate on electoral reform.
“Among the major highlights of the commission’s recommendations is the imperative of legal clarity in result management, with regard to manual transfer versus the electronic transmission of results,” the INEC chairman explained.
Mr Yakubu also disclosed that the review report also contained recommendations on early or special voting for the millions of Nigerians who do not vote at the moment because of their roles during elections.
According to him, the categories of the people include INEC officials, security personnel, ad hoc staff, observers and journalists, who are deployed outside the places where they registered to vote.
He said there were also recommendations in support of diaspora voting, the unbundling of the commission with the establishment of an electoral offences tribunal, and a separate agency to handle the registration and regulation of political parties.
“Similarly, the commission will step up action on voter access and distribution to Polling Units. As a matter of urgency, the commission also intends to develop protocols for the cleaning up of the voters’ register in collaboration with other agencies such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the National Population Commission (NPC),” stated Mr Yakubu.
He added, “Other areas of reform include advocacy for affirmative action for greater participation of under-represented groups, a more robust voter education and public communication to combat fake news and misinformation.
“Furthermore, the commission intends to review the mechanisms for a more effective implementation of agreements on logistics with the transport unions and other service providers.
“This will be done by consolidating on the recent experience with early deployment and commencement of elections in the recent Ondo State Governorship election.”
He also mentioned that with the conclusion of five major off-cycle governorship elections and nine out of 21 bye-elections since the 2023 general election, INEC believed it was time to implement the recommendations arising from the general election review.
Mr Yakubu said that the soft copy of the report would be uploaded to INEC’s website in earnest.
With NAN report
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