INEC insists on 26th Oct as Deadline for PVC Collection

 

INEC insists on 26th Oct as Deadline for PVC Collection

...says the Commssion is 99% Ready for Anambra 2025 Guber polls

From Uchenna Ezeadigwe 

Awka

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has maintained that 5pm on Sunday, 26th of October 2025 remains the deadline for the collection of the permanent Voter's Card (PVC).

The INEC National Commissioner supervising Anambra and Chairman of the Tenders Board Committee, Dr. Kenneth Ikeagu, disclosed this on Saturday while briefing newsmen at the Commission’s State Headquarters in Awka.

Dr. Ikeagu stated that the distribution of new PVCs from the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise is ongoing across 326 designated collection centers in the state. "This collection of PVC collection is strictly on individual basis and cannot be done by proxy, as voters must personally collect their cards by themselves to avoid manipulation". 

He encouraged residents who have not collected theirs to do so before the deadline, which, according to him, remains 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, unless otherwise extended by the Commission’s National Headquarters.

Dr. Ikeagu further explained that the team's assessment tour and mock up exercise for the BVAV machine which began on Monday, October 2nd and ended yesterday being 25th in readiness for the coming g election. "he delegation had been engaged in a series of pre-election activities, including monitoring of voter card collection, meeting with Electoral Officers, transport unions, and the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), as well as overseeing the mock accreditation exercise held across selected polling units".

According to him, is 99 percent ready for the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election, with assurances that there will be no delay in the arrival of electoral materials at polling units across the state. "Almost every aspect of preparation for the governorship poll, with both sensitive and non-sensitive materials already produced and stored under secure conditions, we are.99% ready for.the elction. Also, non-sensitive materials have been distributed to the local government offices, while sensitive materials such as ballot papers and result sheets will be delivered 48 hours before the election in line with the Commission’s standard protocol".

Filing in answers to some pertinent questions on the Commission’s preparedness in the November 8, polls, Dr Ikeagu said all arrangements have been finalized with the transport unions and vehicle owners to guarantee smooth deployment of personnel and materials. "Also we have made avaliable boats for those in the riverine areas as well as bikes to enjoy we reach out to voters. We also made available for all drivers, security officers, and poll officials who will spend the night before the election at the Registration Area Centres (RACs) to ensure early movement to the polling units by 7:00 a.m". 

On the issue security, he confirmed that security formations have already identified flashpoints across the state, and additional personnel will be drawn from neighbouring states to complement local deployments. He however, appealed to residents to maintain peace, avoid conflicts, and cooperate fully with security agencies to ensure a smooth process".

He aasured that the Commission is liaising with security agencies to guarantee the protection of all accredited media practitioners and election workers during the poll. He reaffirmed that all ad-hoc officials are covered by an insurance policy that provides compensation in the event of injury or death while on duty.

Addressing inquiries about the mock accreditation, he said the exercise, held earlier in the day, was successful and confirmed the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices across all selected areas. He also revealed that transport providers had signed binding agreements with the Commission, and any breach of contract on election day would attract sanctions.

The Commission also dismissed any fears of cancellation or postponement of the election as any particular area or part of the state, declaring that voting will take place in all 5,720 polling units across the state, except two that have no registered voters.

Meanwhile, On voter education, the Commission admitted that more sensitization is still needed, especially at the grassroots, to reduce voter apathy and prevent misinformation. He called for increased media support in disseminating accurate information about INEC’s activities, emphasizing that voter enlightenment should be a shared responsibility among all stakeholders.

While those present were the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Queen Elizabeth Agwu, and top national officials of the Commission, including the National Commissioner in charge of Electoral Operations and Logistics, Dr. Baba Bila; National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, mni; and National Commissioner and Chairperson of Planning, Monitoring and Strategy Committee, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, as well newsmen.