TheCable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says all permanent voter cards (PVCs) issued by the commission do not require revalidation.

A message stating that PVCs issued in 2011 need to be revalidated has been circulating on social media platforms.

But in a statement on Friday, Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, said voter cards issued in 2011 can be used to vote in future elections — without revalidation.

“The Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) issued by INEC in 2011 and after can be still be used by their respective owners to vote in all elections, including the upcoming Federal Capital Territoy (FCT) Area Council Elections, the Ekiti and Osun Governorship elections, as well as the 2023 General Election,” the statement reads.

“To be sure, PVCs issued in 2011 and after do not need any revalidation.

“It is also not true that the Commission will use the so-called ‘New Card Reader’ for the 2023 General Election.

“What the Commission intends to use is a multi-purpose gadget, known as the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED). It is currently being used for the physical registration of voters. During an election, it will facilitate the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which provides for both fingerprint and facial authentication.

“The device will also be used to upload individual polling unit election results to the INEC Result Viewing portal (IReV) in real time on election day.

“The general public should therefore disregard the fake news making the rounds that the PVCs issued in 2011 need revalidation. There is no need to revalidate any PVC issued by INEC for election purposes.”

INEC’s clarification comes days after Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos and presidential aspirant, had said the PVCs in the possession of citizens have expired.

He, however, later apologised for the statement and for any confusion it may have caused.