BRANDPOWER can confirm that Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) issued in recent years remain valid for all elections being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Nigerians are therefore advised not to attempt to register anew if they already have a Permanent Voters Card.
This position was made clear by Prof. Bolade Eyinla. the Chief Technical Adviser to the Chairman of INEC. The confirmation became necessary following claims by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, an APC presidential aspirant, in a trending video that his supporters should go and take part in the ongoing ‘new registration’ because “the PVC you have has expired”.
According to Prof. Eyinla “This information is NOT CORRECT!!! The PVC issued to all previously registered voters remains VALID. This kind of statement will certainly push eligible voters to register more than once thereby creating the problem of double & multiple registrations.”
Eyinla also urged the media to “Please use your various mediums to help prevent this development.”
Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman also assured that “Nigerians who already have their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) do not need to register again.”
He warned “In fact, double registration is an offence under our laws. Eligible Nigerians are entitled to register only once. Once a name appears on the National Register of Voters, it stays there permanently.
Oyekanmi added: “One of the very few instances where a name could be removed from the Register is if there’s a strong and verifiable proof that the person bearing the name has died.”
