The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will begin nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) on Friday, October 9, as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan disclosed this on Thursday at the 10th annual conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers in Lagos. He was represented by Lagos Resident Electoral Commissioner Ayobami Salami.

Amupitan said the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise added 10,772,421 voters, bringing the total registered electorate to more than 103 million.

He said the new registrations had undergone biometric verification and final Automated Biometric Identification System cleanup. The preliminary register will be displayed from October 9 to 15 for voters to verify their details and submit claims or objections.

The commission also introduced printable PVC technology to speed up card collection and facilitate the replacement of lost or stolen cards.

Amupitan added that INEC had upgraded its technological infrastructure, strengthened cybersecurity and deployed artificial intelligence tools to detect potential threats ahead of the elections. The commission had also acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines.