The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at registration areas/wards across the country will commence today.

In a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye on Thursday in Abuja, the commission said that the collection of PVCs at ward level would end on Jan. 15.

Okoye urged all registered voters yet to collect their voter’s cards to use the opportunity to do so.

“The devolution of PVC collection to the wards commences… Friday, Jan. 6 2023, and all validly registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs are encouraged to seize the opportunity of the devolution to the wards to do so.

“After Jan. 15, the exercise will revert to the Local Government Offices of the Commission until Jan. 22. All eligible and valid registrants can collect their PVCs from 9am to 3pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.

“All those that applied for replacement of lost, damaged, or defaced PVCs can collect their PVCs at the Registration Area/wards during this period and the same thing applies to those that registered prior to the 2019 general election and are yet to collect their cards.

“The PVCs of those that applied for transfer are available for collection in the Local Governments and Registration Areas where they intend to vote and not in the State or Local Government where they carried out the transfer.”

Okoye said that INEC appreciated the patience and understanding of Nigerians who trooped to its various Local Government Offices to collect their PVCs.

He said that in making the cards available for collection, INEC was also working to ensure that the process was simple and hitch-free for Nigerians.

It would be recalled that the commission held a retreat in Lagos with all the Administrative Secretaries and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory from Nov. 28, 2022 to Dec. 2, 2022.

INEC at the retreat finalised the procedure and the timetable for collection of PVCs and consequently the collection of PVCs commenced in all the 774 local government offices of the commission throughout the Federation.

The commission also resolved that collection of PVCs should begin in the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from Friday Jan. 6 to Sunday Jan. 15.