2019 Elections: 20 things you need to know about getting your PVC

In the coming elections you are eager to vote but you have issues with your voter card or do not have a voter card at all, we have compiled a list of 20 thing you need to know about your permanent voter card in Nigeria before you vote in the elections.

My family recently relocated and I think I misplaced my voter card when we were relocating. Is it possible for me to vote?

Be sure the voter card is missing. Search thoroughly. If you eventually do not find it, then do the following –
1. Go to your local government headquarter. There is an INEC office in every LGA office.
2. Tell the INEC staff your card is missing. You will be asked to check your status to confirm you registered before. You can do that before getting there. Go to http://voterreg.inecnigeria.org/ on your phone. You need to enter your state of registration, last name/surname and date of birth. Click or tap on search and it will bring out your details. Show this information to the INEC staff handling registration.
3. Get a police report and an affidavit to swear that your PVC is missing (Both will cost you less than N1,000 and you can get it within an hour). It is to protect you from being called a crime suspect, in case your card is found at a crime scene.
4. Go back to the INEC officials with this, they will give you a form. You will be asked to make photocopies of the form. They will thereafter print out your Temporary Voter Card.
5. Your PVC will be ready before the election for collection.
If your card was also stolen, please follow through this process above. Ensure you get to the INEC office very early to write down your name so they can attend to you that day.

I used to live in Ago Amodu, Saki East LGA, but I just got a job at Idi-Osan around Muslim, Oluyole LGA. Will I be able to use my PVC to vote during the gubernatorial election in 2019. I badly want to vote.

1. You cannot use your PVC gotten in Ago Amodu to vote in Oluyole. Proceed to Oluyole Local Government Headquarter. Ask for the INEC office there. You will be given an ‘Application for Transfer of a Registered Voter’ Form (Form ECTF 001). Make sure you know your new address and possibly the polling unit closest to this address (Ask your new neighbours for this).

2. You will be asked to make 2 photocopies of your PVC (the front and back of the card on a single page), and 2 photocopies of the filled form. Your PVC will remain with you and a photocopy of the filled form will also be given back to you. That’s all you need to do.

3. INEC’s electoral officer will then transfer your name into the new register and cancel your name in the Saki East LGA register. INEC says your new PVC will be issued when ready. This will be before the election. The entire process for transfer takes less than 30 minutes at the INEC’s LGA office.

4. Please note that this process varies from one state to another. In some states, asides the transfer form that will be given to you at the INEC Local Government office, you will be required to present a request for transfer letter.

I was given a temporary voter card (TVC) that was laminated when I registered before the last election but I fell sick and could not collect my PVC. I also could not vote. I am okay and I plan to vote, where should I go to?

Good to know you are better now. You cannot use your TVC to vote on election day. Go to the INEC office in the Local Government Area where you registered. Your PVC would be one of the uncollected ones. Go with your TVC and you will be given your PVC and made to sign that it has been collected. INEC says PVCs are ready for everyone who registered last year. For all registrations this year, PVC will be available by October 2018. It’s Free.

I hate politics; especially in Nigeria where we know the winner before the elections. Tell me one reason why you think I should vote.

It is important you know that everything in society is connected to politics. The least you can do is to participate. The decisions made by those in office affects everyone. Voting is one of the strongest means through which you can participate in the polity actively. By not voting you are making it easy for the wrong choices to prevail.

Besides, it’s once in 4 years. It is worth giving time to. Your participation also makes it difficult to rig elections. The more people involved, the better. Remember how the tribunals have upturned elections in Benue, Ekiti, Ondo, Rivers etc in the past. It was because people participated.

Two years ago, I was a factory worker at a company around challenge; I mistakenly had my right thumb chopped off by one of the machines. I learnt anyone one without thumb cannot vote. Is this true?

Sorry to hear about your loss. INEC has made provision for People Living with Disabilities. A picture of the disabled part will be taken for INEC’s database. Provisions will be made for both registration and voting. In your case, the other fingers will be used for registration and subsequently for voting. Even people who have visual impairments and can’t see can vote. You however have to do two things.

Go to the Local Government where you registered to let them know and also check your voting status on http://voterreg.inecnigeria.org/ Your VIN number is the last seven digits. You will see them directly under the INEC logo on the top right-hand corner of your voter card.

My 18th birthday was last year. My colleagues in class told me I can now vote. Most of them have voter card. I am too shy to tell them I do not have one. Please tell me what I should do to get one.

Happy birthday and congratulations; Nigeria law now recognises you as an adult. Go to the Local Government office where you live. Tell the INEC staff you want to register as you are now 18+. They will register you as part of the Continuous Voter Registration Exercise. Only Nigerians can register to vote. If you have a ‘baby face’, you need to show a document that has your date of birth on it. Your birth certificate, WAEC certificate or National ID Card will be suitable for this. It is just for sighting, so the INEC official is sure he or she is not registering an underage person.

I initially misplaced my PVC. Because I was desperate to vote this year, I went again to register and was given a TVC. Now I have found the PVC, what is the best thing to do; or should I just keep the two?

It is prohibited by law to have two voter cards; whether temporary and permanent or two permanent voter card. Section 117 of the Nigerian Electoral Act 2010 as amended explains that possessing two voter’s card is punishable with a fine not exceeding N100,000 and or a year imprisonment.

Go back to the INEC office where you got the last card and explain the situation to them. They will retrieve the missing one you just found as the only valid one recognised is the TVC which will be used to produce your PVC.

Can I register twice, just in case INEC’s computer in one place mistakenly removes my name, at least I can go to another location to vote?

It is wrong to register twice. The system does not work like that. What you need to do is to verify your voting status. Pick up your card and check your voting status through http://voterreg.inecnigeria.org/ on your phone. You need to enter your state of registration, last name (surname) and date of birth. Click or tap on search and it will bring out your details. That way, you can easily confirm you are qualified to vote.

I had a surgery on the left side of my face two years ago and it changed how I look, I even had to snap new photographs. The picture on my PVC does not look like me again, should I explain to the electoral officer at the polling booth during election next year or what am I supposed to do?

Sorry about the incidence. You need to get to the INEC office in the Local Government where you registered. Explain your case to them. They will give you an incidence form or fill it themselves and will simply update your data. A new PVC will be given to you with the update when ready (most likely October 2018). With this, you are eligible to vote.

I did my voter card registration in 2015 but I use my card for several banking transactions. The last time I took the card to the bank, it was rejected because my picture on the card is no longer clear. Is it right for me to do a fresh registration?

You are not meant to do a fresh registration. You are only allowed to register once at one location. Please note that the major purpose of PVC is for election, for subsequent times, keep your PVC safe. Go to INEC’s office in your local government area and show them your card. They will give you an incidence form and produce a temporary voter card for you. Once your PVC is ready, you will be notified.

I am now Mrs. Abike Lalupon, I recently got married but my PVC has Miss Abike Sokoya. How do I change it to reflect my new status and name?

Happy Married Life Mrs Lalupon. To change your PVC to reflect your new status, go to the Local Government Office where you registered with your Marriage Certificate or the part of newspaper that published your new name. You will be given an incidence form. Attach a copy of your marriage certificate as well as a copy of your current PVC. It will be processed and a new PVC will be given to you when ready while the old one is retrieved.

For registered citizens who wish to change the names on their PVC, you need to get a court affidavit reflecting that you are the same person on the PVC. take this to the local government office where you registered. It will be processed and a new PVC will be given to you while the old one is retrieved.

My PVC got broken mistakenly, can I continue to use it like that?

Your broken card will not be usable during the 2019 elections. Go to the INEC office in the LGA where you registered and complain. An incidence form will be provided. It will be filled by the INEC staff and you will be required to make a photocopy of the broken card. A copy of the incidence form will be given to you after it has been minuted on by the INEC official. You will need this to collect your new PVC when it is ready by October 2018 and the broken one will be retrieved from you.

Is it true that if I misplace my PVC, I will have to pay INEC to get a new one?

No, INEC in any state does not charge any fee for any of its processes. You may, however, need to pay at the court and police station to get a court affidavit and a police report (it costs not more than N1,000). With this, you can go to the INEC office in your Local Government and follow the steps in 1b above.

I am 23 years old, I did not vote during the last election even though some of my friends did. I am interested in doing so now. I am confused as to what to do?

It is a noble thing you have decided to do. Please refer to the answer in question 6 above to see what you need to do.

How long does it take to register to vote for a person just registering for the first time? I am a very busy person and I don’t have time to waste.

The process of registration itself is not long depending on your location. It is advisable you go to the registration centre early enough preferably the INEC office in your local government so as to get your name down. The registration process at INEC’s office officially starts at 9 am every working day and close by 3 pm. You need to go earlier than 9 am to put down your name. You will be registered once it is your turn.

My father is sick and he asked me to go and get his PVC for him. He already did his registration himself, will the INEC official allow me. I have photos that we took together and a letter from him asking that the card be released to him.

You cannot get a PVC for anyone. INEC’s process does not allow anyone to register for another person or to collect any document on behalf of anyone no matter how close and no matter the condition. Even the president of the country has to collect his card by himself. Voting can also not be done by proxy even if you have the person’s card. It is one vote for each person.

Someone told me all old PVC has to be revalidated by INEC before it can be used again. Is that true?

There is nothing like revalidation of PVC. Anyone who has gotten a voter card from INEC starting from 2010 should note that it is the same card that will be used for the 2019 election. It is the same card that was also used for the 2011 and 2015 elections. You can, however, go ahead to confirm your status by logging on to http://voterreg.inecnigeria.org/ on your phone. You need to enter your state of registration, last name (surname) and date of birth to generate information about your status.

I misplaced the TVC that was given to me after I registered last month and I did not even make a photocopy. Does it mean I can’t vote?

No, you are still eligible and registered to vote. Head back to the INEC office in your Local Government Area, explain the situation of things, it is important you know the polling unit and other essential details on the TVC as it will be requested for, your registration will be confirmed on INEC’s database and your PVC will be issued when ready. This is however not to say that you can be careless with your TVC.

I reside in Ward 8 of Ibadan North Local Government. I work in Ward 11 of the same local government. Can I just register for my PVC in ward 11 since it is the same local government?

It is not advisable you do so. There will be restriction of movement on Election Day which means it will be difficult for you to move from Ward 8 (Sango, Ijokodo area) to Ward 11 (Emmanuel College, University of Ibadan Area). It is therefore important that you choose a location close to your place of residence or where you are likely to be on election day. Following that, our recommendation is that you register to vote in Ward 8 which is closer to your house.

I am a graduate of the University of Jos. I registered to vote in year 2010 and I have my PVC. I now reside and work in Lagelu in Oyo state and I will like to have PVC in order to enable me to vote come 2019.

If you want to vote in University of Jos where you registered, please go back to the centre with your TVC. Your PVC is ready for collection. But if you are planning on voting here in Ibadan. Then you will need to get to your local government where you plan on voting, explain to the INEC officials there, show them your TVC or a print out of your confirmed status which you can access at (http://voterreg.inecnigeria.org/) you will be given a transfer form to fill, do so and follow the steps in answer 2 above.

Other Relevant Information

* CVR means Continuous Voter Registration
* PVC means Permanent Voter Card
* Voter Registration is the process of recording details such as names, age, fingerprints, address and photographs of people eligible to vote. It is biometric and that is why fingerprints and photographs have to be collected.
* INEC on twitter – @inecnigeria
*INEC’s Citizens Contact Centre – 0700 2255 4632 (For complaints and enquiries)