PVCs don’t expire, INEC tells Tinubu, insists double registration an offence

• Assures underage persons won’t vote in 2023

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged Nigerians to disregard claims by National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu, that Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) have an expiry date.

The former Lagos State governor, who is also a presidential aspirant, had in a trending video said: “In case they do not announce to you on time, the PVC you have has expired.”

But Chief Technical Adviser to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Bolade Eyinla, said in Abuja, yesterday, that the PVCs issued in recent years remain valid for all elections conducted by INEC, urging Nigerians not to attempt re-registration, if they already have PVCs.

“This information is not correct. The PVCs issued to all previously registered voters remain valid. This kind of statement will certainly push eligible voters to register more than once, thereby creating the problem of double and multiple registrations,” he said.

Also, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said: “In fact, double registration is an offence under our laws. Eligible Nigerians are entitled to register only once. Once a name appears on the National Register of Voters, it stays there permanently.

“One of the very few instances where a name could be removed from the register is if there’s a strong and verifiable proof that the person bearing the name has died.”

Also, the number of fresh names in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is 5,027,204. This was contained in the CVR weekly update by INEC in Abuja.

“The number of registrants who have completed online and physical registration was 2,563,068, made up of 1,292,823 males and 1,270,245 females, of which 24,129 were People Living With Disabilities (PWDs),” the update revealed.

This was as INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said, yesterday, that the commission is undertaking a comprehensive cleaning up of the voter register to remove underage persons, who may attempt to vote during the 2023 elections.