The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Plateau State has expressed deep concern over the extremely low turnout of voters collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) across the state.
Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mohammed Sadiq, made the disclosure during a stakeholder meeting held in Jos on Wednesday, December 3rd, stressing that the trend was worrisome despite several rounds of sensitisation.
He said INEC had ensured that PVCs were readily available, yet the response from registered voters had been discouraging.
“We keep on mentioning to the good people of Plateau State that the owners of the over 101,000 PVCs should come over because it will surprise you that in the last three months, only 1,004 out of over 101,000 came and picked their voters’ cards, which represents a 0.09% collection. That means that even one percent collection, we have not reached in Plateau,” Sadiq lamented.
Sadiq announced that the display of the preliminary voters’ register would run from December 15 to 21, 2025, while complaints and corrections would be handled on December 21.
He appealed to registrants to use the period to verify their details and report any errors.
The REC further revealed that the second phase of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) would commence on January 5, 2026.
Sadiq identified uncollected cards and incomplete registrations as the biggest obstacles facing the commission as it prepares ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He highlighted the importance of voter registration, saying it remained the backbone of credible polls.
“The registration and production of an accurate voter register are fundamental anchors of our electoral system… Section 10 of the Electoral Act 2022 mandates the Commission to conduct the registration of voters on a continuous basis,” he said.
He explained that the first phase of the 2025 CVR exercise—which began with online pre-registration on August 18, followed by physical registration on August 25, would end on December 10, 2025.
The REC also presented detailed statistics from the last three months, showing the following:
- Total applications received: 76,451
- New registrations: 25,290
- Registrants yet to be captured: 7,019
- Incidences recorded: 44,142
- Uncollected PVCs: 101,200
- PVCs collected: 1,004
- Male: 394
- Female: 610
Sadiq expressed gratitude to political parties, traditional rulers, local government authorities, security agencies, the media, and community leaders for their support throughout the CVR exercise.
“This gathering is basically to commend and appreciate the unwavering and tremendous support the Commission received from you… Your tireless effort has yielded very positive results,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to intensify mobilisation efforts to ensure greater voter participation ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that democracy could only thrive through collective commitment.
Naijaonpoint reports that the meeting was attended by political party representatives, security chiefs, government agencies, religious leaders, and other key stakeholders.
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