We are nearly halfway through the year 2022, and the year 2023 draws close to the Presidential and gubernatorial elections. The elections are when Nigerians eighteen and older have a civic responsibility to vote for the best candidate to lead the nation forward. The air is already ripe with campaign and election conversations, with several persons indicating their interest in running and people already choosing their ideal candidate. Exercising your right to vote regardless of your candidate requires you to have your Permanent Voters Card, popularly referred to as INEC PVC. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued PVCs to Nigerian citizens of legal age.
However, various difficulties have been marred by acquiring an INEC PVC, such as long queues at the INEC office, which usually means you lose a whole day of productivity. This factor discouraged a lot of individuals from going to get their PVC. Recently, INEC has introduced an online portal where any Nigerian citizen with access to the internet can register a PVC without disrupting their schedule. In addition, previous PVC holders can use the portal to request a reissued card or for their voting site to be transferred to another state.
In April 2022, INEC Chairman revealed that about 45% of online registrations were invalid as they didn’t contain complete data or didn’t follow the required process. To ensure that your registration counts and are considered valid, we’ve outlined the steps required for your INEC PVC Registration.
VISIT THE INEC WEBSITE: To register, please visit the INEC website, https://cvr.inecnigeria.org and then tap “Get Started.” You will be redirected to the Voter registration portal, containing a list of services to choose from. To register, click on “New Voter Pre-Registration.”
CREATE AN ACCOUNT: You’d be required to create an account on the new page. You can do this by clicking “Sign in with Google” or filling out the short form provided, requiring you to enter your name, valid mobile number, email address, and a password. After you’re done, click on “Submit” to proceed. Please use an email account to which you have access as you’d need access to it for the next step.
CONFIRM YOUR ACCOUNT: An email will be sent to confirm your account upon completing the previous step. Check all your folders to ensure you have gotten the email. The email will contain a link; click on the link to verify your account. Afterward, return to the sign-in page you visited earlier and log in with your email and the newly created password.
ENTER YOUR BIODATA: After you log in, you’d see a declaration page that requests that you consent to provide nothing but accurate information. Click on “Yes,” to proceed. You’d be taken to a new page, which contains a form required to fill. The form requires information such as name, DOB, gender, occupation, address, NIN, and nationality. The site will also request other information such as residence and birth information and preferred polling unit. You’ll also find an option to upload supporting documents, such as a picture of your NIN slip or passport; you should note that this isn’t a mandatory step.
You will also be required to upload two passport photographs of yourself, one smiling and the other with a neutral facial expression.
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT: Once you’ve completed the previous steps, you’ll be asked to choose a convenient day and time to go to an INEC center for biometric capturing. Please make sure you consider your working hours and distance before choosing.
SUBMIT AND PRINT THE APPLICATION SLIP: You’d be asked to confirm that all information provided is accurate before submitting. After that, you’re required to print your application slip and take it to the INEC Center on the day of your appointment.
VISIT THE INEC CENTER: On the day of your appointment, visit your chosen INEC center for biometric capturing. Upon completion, you will be issued a temporary voters’ card, which is proof that you’ve completed your voters’ registration. Once your PVC is ready, you will be contacted by INEC to come and pick it up. Bear in mind that this can take about 1-3 months.