The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 1,028,929 of the 1,059,360 registered voters in Ekiti State have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja following the conclusion of the PVC collection exercise.
According to him, after the suspension of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise on May 15 and the subsequent clean-up of the voters’ register, the number of registered voters in Ekiti State increased from 987,647 in 2023 to 1,059,360 in 2026.
Haruna said PVC collection also rose from 958,052 in 2023, representing 97 per cent of registered voters, to 1,028,929 in 2026, equivalent to a 97.1 per cent collection rate.
He noted that the PVC collection exercise, initially scheduled to end on June 11, was extended to June 14 after consultations with stakeholders in Ado-Ekiti.
Haruna added that in line with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, the commission provided replacement PVCs for voters whose cards were lost, damaged or defaced.
He said INEC received 14,406 applications for replacement cards within the stipulated period and successfully printed all of them, with most already collected.
According to him, the planned option of downloading replacement voter cards could not be introduced for the Ekiti election because the required technology infrastructure is not yet ready.
He, however, said the feature is expected to be available for future polls, including the Osun governorship election in August 2026 and the 2027 general election.
Haruna commended traditional rulers, community leaders, civil society organisations, political parties and the media for mobilising residents to collect their PVCs and participate in the electoral process.
He assured voters that all PVCs for eligible applicants, including those who applied for transfers and replacements, had been printed and made available, while reaffirming INEC’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election in Ekiti State.
