Electoral body on Thursday rejected claims that amassing Permanent Voter Cards could sway the 2027 general elections, insisting new safeguards have rendered the practice obsolete.
Dr Adejumo Peter, Head of Voter Education and Publicity for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kwara State, told journalists that the commission would deliver free, fair and credible polls in which every valid vote counts.
“INEC has introduced measures that make it impossible for anyone to use another person’s PVC to vote. That is why politicians have shifted their focus to vote-buying,” Peter said at a seminar organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Ilorin.
“Many politicians are still living in the past. Stockpiling and carting away PVCs can no longer guarantee electoral victory,” he added.
Peter assured residents that INEC in Kwara would strictly follow the Electoral Act and the commission’s guidelines. “We will ensure that the elections are conducted on the basis of one person, one vote. At the end of the exercise, the outcome will reflect the will of the people,” he said.
He urged politicians to focus on issue-based campaigns and reject violence. “I urge politicians to play by the rules. They should campaign on their manifestos and shun violence before, during and after the elections. Let us conduct the elections peacefully like a sporting contest. They should accept the outcome of the elections,” he said.
Abdulfatai Atata, Head of INEC’s Legal Unit in Kwara, described the amended Electoral Act 2026 as a major step forward. The law, he said, introduces reforms to boost transparency, strengthen internal party democracy and expand the use of technology.
“As Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, the Act will serve as both a test and a tool for deepening the country’s democratic governance,” Atata said, while noting that its success would depend on effective implementation and judicial interpretation.
