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Over 14m PVCs Uncollected As INEC Raises Alarm Ahead Of 2027 Elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is facing growing concerns over the failure of millions of eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), with more than 14 million cards reportedly awaiting collection across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Investigations across several states have revealed that despite the millions of Nigerians who registered during the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, a significant number of produced PVCs remain unclaimed, raising fears that many eligible citizens could be unable to participate in next year’s elections.
Findings show that 6.26 million PVCs were left uncollected before the 2023 general elections. The latest CVR exercise, meanwhile, recorded 10,772,421 new registrants nationwide.
Although several states have released their PVC collection figures, many are yet to provide comprehensive statistics, with the number of uncollected cards estimated at more than 14 million.
States with significant outstanding PVCs include Plateau, Taraba, Jigawa, Benue and Bayelsa.
In Plateau State, about 95,000 PVCs from previous registration exercises remain uncollected. Taraba has 29,314 outstanding cards, while Jigawa has 33,079 PVCs awaiting collection.
Bayelsa State also has 52,225 PVCs from the first phase of the recent registration exercise yet to be collected.
The situation has raised concerns about whether the growing number of registered voters will translate into actual participation in the 2027 elections, particularly as INEC intensifies preparations for the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
Taraba State has 2,254,380 registered voters, according to INEC.
However, no fewer than 29,314 PVCs remain uncollected at the commission’s offices across the state.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Sa’ad Umar Idris, said the outstanding cards comprised 13,826 legacy PVCs from previous electoral cycles between 2011 and 2023 and 15,488 cards processed during the latest registration exercise.
He explained that INEC processed 31,676 cards arising from new registrations, voter transfers and replacements during the 2025–2026 exercise.
Of the figure, only 16,188 cards, representing approximately 51 per cent, had been collected.
Expressing concern over the low collection rate, Idris appealed to political parties, traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society organisations to mobilise residents to visit INEC offices in their respective local government areas and collect their cards.
In Plateau State, INEC recorded 121,821 new voters during the latest CVR exercise, while approximately 95,000 PVCs from previous registration exercises remain uncollected.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Samuel Egwu, disclosed this during a meeting with political party leaders and other stakeholders in Jos.
He said women accounted for 65,928 of the new registrants, while men represented 55,893.
The commission also received 38,399 applications for voter transfers within and outside the state.
Egwu described the outstanding PVCs as a major concern as the commission steps up preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Jigawa State has 2,351,298 registered voters, according to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Muhammad Bashar.
Bashar disclosed that 33,079 PVCs were ready for collection by residents who registered for transfers, corrections and replacements between August and December 2025.
He also revealed that the state recorded 515,878 new voters during the three phases of the recent CVR exercise.
Jigawa has 27 local government areas, 287 registration areas and 4,522 polling units.
In Zamfara State, INEC recorded 313,115 new voters under the CVR exercise as of August 2026.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Mahmud Isa, disclosed this in Gusau, explaining that the new registrants were additional to the 1,952,060 registered voters recorded in the state for the 2023 general elections.
In Kaduna State, 61,494 PVCs had been collected as of October 28, according to figures obtained from INEC.
An official of the commission, Hajiya Rukaiyatu, said the figure comprised 12,741 old PVCs and 48,753 newly issued cards.
Women collected 32,589 cards, comprising 6,782 old and 25,807 new PVCs, while men collected 28,905 cards, including 5,959 old and 22,946 new PVCs.
The figures indicate a higher collection rate among female voters.
Nasarawa State’s registered voter population has increased to approximately 2.1 million following the registration of 247,000 new voters between 2025 and July 2026.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Mohammed Abullahi Sadiq, disclosed this while commending residents for their participation in the registration exercise.
He urged those who were yet to collect their PVCs to visit INEC offices in their respective local government areas.
Sokoto State has recorded 2,633,113 registered voters, including 461,057 captured during the latest CVR exercise.
The commission’s Public Relations Officer, Hassan Kaoje, said the figure represented 2.55 per cent of the national voter register.
He said INEC was intensifying efforts to ensure that all eligible registrants collected their PVCs before the 2027 elections.
Kaoje urged those who had completed registration but were yet to collect their cards to visit designated INEC offices and collection centres.
Adamawa State has 2,431,146 registered voters as of July 2026.
INEC’s Head of Voter Education and Information in the state, Alhaji Aliyu Shaba Lafiagi, disclosed that 49,304 PVCs had been collected as of October 23.
He also reported that 11,725 voter cards had been transferred into the state, comprising 6,255 belonging to men and 5,520 belonging to women.
In Borno State, INEC declined to provide the latest figures on registered voters and PVC collection, describing the information as sensitive.
Officials said the commission was yet to ascertain the actual number of newly registered voters and PVCs collected because the exercise was ongoing.
However, the 2023 voter register put the state’s voting population at 2,564,197.
A similar situation occurred in Bauchi, where INEC officials declined to release the requested figures, insisting that the information was not for public consumption.
Efforts to obtain updated statistics from Kebbi State were also unsuccessful.
Benue State has 3,057,225 registered voters, including 279,498 new registrants across its 23 local government areas.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Aminu Idris, said INEC received 101,695 PVCs from its headquarters for the first phase of the CVR and voter transfers.
The consignment comprised 54,724 new PVCs and 46,971 transferred cards.
During the display of the voters’ register between October 9 and 15, 2026, at registration area level, 58,581 PVCs were collected.
The breakdown showed that 9,139 were old cards previously held in storage, 28,854 were new CVR cards, 12,707 were transferred cards and 7,881 were replacement cards.
Idris said all existing PVCs remained available for collection at INEC offices across the state’s 23 local government areas.
He added that the commission would announce the availability of cards processed during the second and third phases of the CVR exercise after receiving official notification from its headquarters.
Despite having one of the largest voter populations in the country, Kano State is yet to determine the total number of PVCs collected across its 44 local government areas.
INEC’s Public Relations Officer, Nahila Bello Dandago, said the commission was still compiling the figures because the collection exercise was ongoing.
She disclosed that Kano had 6,570,276 registered voters, making it the state with the second-highest voter population after Lagos, which has 7,488,633.
In Yobe State, the registered voter population increased from 1,485,146 in 2022 to 1,768,671 in 2026, representing an addition of 283,525 voters.
In Damaturu Local Government Area, 11,911 PVCs had been collected, leaving 9,137 unclaimed.
The Electoral Officer for Damaturu, Ahmed A. Waziri, said INEC had 21,048 cards available for collection, comprising 8,100 outstanding cards from the 2023 exercise and 12,948 received during the first phase of the latest distribution.
He said Damaturu was yet to receive cards under the second and third phases of the distribution exercise.
Waziri added that the commission’s ICT department was better positioned to provide comprehensive figures for the state’s 17 local government areas.
In Lagos State, INEC said the final Register of Voters would not be available until the conclusion of the ongoing claims and objections exercise on December 15, 2026.
The commission’s Public Affairs Officer, Tope Adenuga, said the final figures for newly registered voters could not be provided until the exercise was completed.
He said the final register would be made available after the conclusion of the exercise.
According to the available figures, Lagos recorded 7,488,633 registered voters.
However, INEC was yet to release updated statistics on PVC collection in the state.
In Ondo State, the total number of registered voters stands at 2,053,061, including 76,285 new registrants.
The Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Olayinka Ogunseye, disclosed that 1,771,326 PVCs had been collected.
He, however, cautioned that the figures were preliminary and not final.
Ekiti State’s registered voter population has increased to 1,055,708, according to INEC.
The figure represents an increase of 68,061 over the 987,647 registered voters recorded during the 2023 general elections.
The commission could not immediately provide updated PVC collection figures because the exercise was ongoing.
Ogun State has recorded an increase of 348,703 registered voters, bringing its total voter population to 3,037,008 as of October 2026.
The figure represents an increase from the 2,688,305 registered voters recorded for the 2023 general elections.
INEC officials said PVC distribution was still ongoing at the commission’s local government offices.
In Osun State, the total number of registered voters stands at 2,339,233.
The INEC Public Relations Officer, Musa Olurode, said the figure remained the same as that used for the August 2026 governorship election because no fresh CVR exercise had been conducted in the state after the poll.
He disclosed that 1,906,390 PVCs had been collected as of August, adding that the figure would be updated following the ongoing collection exercise.
In Delta State, INEC officials declined to provide statistics on PVC collection, directing enquiries to the commission’s ICT department.
The Head of Voter Education, Nse Abasi Udom, said the ICT unit was responsible for monitoring and maintaining the relevant records.
However, she declined to provide the contact details of the department’s head, explaining that officials were attending an important meeting.
A similar experience occurred during a previous visit to a PVC collection centre at Uzor Igwe Primary School, Nnebisi Road, Asaba, where an INEC official declined to disclose the number of cards available or collected.
The official, however, acknowledged an impressive turnout of residents.
“What I can tell you, which you can verify from the atmosphere here, is that the turnout is impressive. People are coming and collecting,” the official said.
The commission’s inability to provide the figures has made it difficult to establish the number of PVCs still awaiting collection across the state.
In Bayelsa State, INEC has put the total number of registered voters at 1,200,691, with 52,225 PVCs from the first phase of the recent CVR exercise awaiting collection.
Ekeremor and Sagbama local government areas recorded the highest numbers of registered voters, with 12,023 and 10,080 respectively.
Ogbia recorded the lowest figure of 3,132, followed by Nembe with 3,620 and Kolokuma/Opokuma with 3,712.
INEC said collection commenced at registration area level on October 9 and ended on October 15, after which the exercise was moved to the commission’s offices across the state’s eight local government areas.
The commission urged eligible registrants who missed the ward-level distribution to visit their respective local government offices to collect their cards.
With millions of PVCs reportedly still awaiting collection across several states, INEC faces the challenge of ensuring that voter registration translates into actual participation in the 2027 general elections.
The success of the commission’s mobilisation efforts and the willingness of eligible voters to collect their cards could prove crucial to determining voter participation in the forthcoming polls.
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