ADC urges INEC to publish PVC timetable, warns against disenfranchisement

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately release a clear nationwide timetable for the production, distribution and collection of Permanent Voter Cards. 

In a statement on Friday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said every Nigerian who successfully completed voter registration must be given timely access to their PVC.

“You cannot register Nigerians to vote and then make them run from office to office searching for the card that enables them to exercise that right. Registration without access to a PVC is disenfranchisement by another route,” the ADC said.

The party urged INEC to publish state-by-state data on the number of newly registered voters, PVCs produced, cards distributed, outstanding cards, and designated collection centres. 

It also asked the Commission to step up public information campaigns and decentralise collection points wherever possible so that distance, bureaucracy and poor communication do not prevent citizens from collecting their cards.

“With the general election approaching, Nigerians should not be left wondering whether their cards will arrive in time. This is not a logistical footnote. It goes to the heart of the credibility of the election itself,” the statement said.

The ADC said it will mobilise its structures across the country to monitor PVC distribution and document complaints from registered voters who are unable to obtain their cards.

“We do not want an election-eve scramble, excuses or emergency promises. INEC has the opportunity to resolve this matter now, transparently and comprehensively,” the party stated.

“Every PVC that remains unnecessarily unavailable represents a citizen whose constitutional voice is at risk of being silenced. That must not be allowed to happen.”