Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmoud Yakubu said Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) should not be the sole requirement for voting, especially with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).


While speaking on Thursday during the quarterly consultative meeting with Residents Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja, he said the commission, having released its 524-page main report on the 2023 general election, has consulted widely with its officials and externally with all major stakeholders.

 

Yakubu urged the usage of computer-generated voting slips for those without PVCs. 


“INEC also believes that with the introduction of BVAS, the use of PVCs as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on election day should be reviewed.


“Those who already have 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 costs; it will also eliminate issues around the collection of PVCs and the diabolical practice of buying up the cards from voters in order to disenfranchise them."


The INEC chairman disclosed that from the internal and external engagements, the commission has identified 142 recommendations dealing with the general state of preparedness, voter management, voter education and public communication, political parties and candidate management, electoral operations and logistics management.


Others are election officials and personnel, partnership and collaboration, monitoring and supervision, election technology, voting and result management, election security, electoral offences, and the electoral legal framework.


He said with the conclusion of five major off-cycle governorship elections and nine out of 21 bye-elections since the 2023 general elections, this is the most appropriate time for INEC to commence the implementation of recommendations arising from its review. 


He said out of the 142 recommendations, 86 require administrative action. 


“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 actions 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 reforms. "


Yakubu disclosed that among the major highlights of the commission’s recommendations is the imperative of legal clarity in result management with regards to manual transfer versus electronic transmission of results.


On early voting for journalists and other essential workers, he noted that“The review report also contains recommendations on early/special voting for millions of Nigerians who do not vote at the moment on account of the roles they play during elections, such as INEC officials, security personnel, ad-hoc staff, observers and journalists who are deployed outside the places where they registered to vote.


“There are 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,” he added.


The INEC chairman also disclosed that as a matter of urgency, the electoral body 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).


He said other areas of reform include advocacy for affirmative action for greater participation of under-represented groups and 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 by consolidating on the recent experience with early deployment and commencement of elections in the recent Ondo State governorship election,” Yakubu added.