Electoral Reforms: INEC To Phase Out PVCs
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it is proposing several electoral reforms in 2025 which will see the phasing out of use of Permanent Voter Cards during elections, and the introduction of Diaspora voting.
According to channelstv.com, the commission said the proposed reforms were the conclusion of a meeting by the Chairman, Prof, Mahmood Yakubu, with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja on Thursday.
INEC said the proposals will soon be presented to the relevant committees in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Yakubu said, “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 commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards 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.
“There are also recommendations in support of diaspora voting, the unbundling of the commission with the establishment of 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.”
INEC Chairman explained that these recommendations were captured in a 524-page review report on the 2023 general elections.
