The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Tuesday, disclosed that about 295,856 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) are yet to be collected in Ondo State, ahead of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise nationwide.
Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Oluwatoyin Babalola, who disclosed this at the second quarterly consultative meeting with the media in Ondo State, held in Akure, said that out of 2,053,061 registered voters, 1,757,205 have collected their PVCs in the state.
According to her, “there is a need to caution those already registered, this is not an opportunity to re-register. Individuals who are already registered should not attempt to register again, as this would constitute double or multiple registrations as stipulated in Section 12(2) of the Electoral Act 2022, and it may attract a fine of N100,000, one year of imprisonment or both.”
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Babalola, however, described the number of uncollected PVCs as “worrisome” and called for collective efforts from the media, civil society, political parties, and traditional institutions to sensitise residents on the importance of voter participation and collection of cards.
She said, “We urge all eligible citizens who are yet to collect their PVCs to take advantage of the CVR period to do so. A credible voter register is the bedrock of credible elections.”
The REC announced that the CVR exercise will commence nationwide on August 18, 2025 with online pre-registration via http://cvr.inecnigeria.org, followed by physical (in-person) registration on August 25, across the 18 INEC Local Government Offices and the State Office in Akure, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every Monday to Friday.
Babalola explained that the registration exercise targets seven categories of citizens: new registrants who just turned 18, those unable to register previously, individuals seeking to transfer registration, voters with accreditation issues, citizens needing data updates, those with defaced or lost PVCs, and people collecting unclaimed PVCs.
The exercise is expected to run continuously until August 2026 but will be paused temporarily in December 2025 for the processing of data collected within the initial months.
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She disclosed that all 19 designated registration centres have been prepared and equipped with the INEC Voter Enrolment Devices (IVEDs), which are fully charged, labelled, and ready for deployment.
Babalola further stated that INEC staff have also been stationed and briefed in anticipation of the exercise’s commencement.
Acknowledging the media as a critical partner in the electoral process, Babalola praised journalists in the State for their professionalism and consistent support.
“You are the vital link between the Commission and the people. Your objectivity and dedication are instrumental to our success,” she said.
She, therefore, appealed to stakeholders, political parties, faith-based organisations, traditional rulers, youth and women groups, to support public mobilisation efforts, reiterating that INEC cannot achieve electoral credibility in isolation.
