The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged Nigerians to disregard a viral story that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) issued in 2011 need revalidation.
The commission gave the advice in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, in Abuja on Friday.
Oyekanmi said that PVCs issued by INEC in 2011 and after could still be used by their owners to vote in all elections.
Upcoming elections are those of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council, the Ekiti and Osun Governorship.
INEC said the card remains valid also for the 2023 General Election.
Oyekanmi described as untrue the report that “New Card Reader” would be used for the 2023 general elections.
“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,” Oyekanmi said.
A report trending online titled “Important Information,” called on registered voters to check the back of their Voters Card.
The authors said “if it was registered in 2011, you need to revalidate it at the INEC office.”
The misleading report also stated that new INEC Card reader for 2023 election would not be able to read the card.
They asked people to revalidate it now to avoid disenfranchisement.
