2027: INEC Receives Non-Sensitive Election Materials in Plateau

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Plateau State says it has received nearly all the non-sensitive materials needed for the 2027 general elections and has begun sorting and packaging them for distribution across the state’s 17 local government areas.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Samuel Egwu, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists at the commission’s headquarters in Jos on preparations for the polls.

Egwu explained that the materials were being organised according to local government areas to ensure they could be distributed efficiently when required.

“Virtually all the non-sensitive materials required for the 2027 elections have been brought to Plateau State.

“What we have done, as soon as we receive them, is to batch them local government by local government so that they can move without difficulty,” Egwu said.

He described Electoral Officers as key to the election process, noting that they oversee the commission’s activities at the local government level.

“Electoral Officers are very important because they are the pillars of the elections we conduct. They work at the local government level,” he said.

The REC also said INEC had started training programmes for different groups of election personnel, including Electoral Officers who did not participate in the training conducted during the 2023 general elections.

Egwu urged eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), disclosing that the commission had several categories of unclaimed cards awaiting collection.

He said approximately 95,000 PVCs issued before the 2023 general elections remained uncollected, although some had been picked up during subsequent Continuous Voter Registration exercises.

“The first generation were those that were with us before the 2023 general elections, and there are about 95,000 of them.

“Some were collected by their owners during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, but the number collected is still very small,” he added.

The commission had also received cards produced during the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which ran from August to December 2025.

According to Egwu, the cards are available in Shendam, Langtang North, Jos South and Kanam local government areas. He appealed to residents who registered in those areas during the period to visit INEC offices and collect their PVCs.

He further disclosed that about 19,000 cards belonging to voters who requested transfers, corrected their personal details or sought replacements for damaged cards had been delivered to the state.

“The four local governments are Shendam, Langtang North, Jos South and Kanam. Those cards are now with us. We expect residents of these local governments who registered between August and December 2025 to come forward and collect their cards,” he said.

“We have received cards for those who sought transfers, those who corrected their biodata and those whose cards were defaced and requested reprinting. All these categories of cards, about 19,000 in number, are available,” he added.

PVCs produced during the second phase of the registration exercise, conducted between January and April 2026, had also arrived and been distributed to the local government areas.

Egwu said Electoral Officers were already issuing the cards from their respective offices.

“The good news is that the cards from the second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration, which took place from January to April 2026, are now with us. All these categories of cards have been taken to the local government areas, and our Electoral Officers are issuing them from their respective offices,” he said.

However, he noted that the commission was still expecting PVCs generated during the third phase of the registration exercise, which ended in July. He expressed optimism that the cards would reach the state before the end of November.

“What is outstanding for INEC to make available to us are the cards from the third phase of the Continuous Voter Registration, which ended in July. We are very hopeful that between now and the end of the month, those cards will be available,” he said.

The REC added that INEC planned to move the cards to Registration Area Centres, also known as ward-level offices, to bring collection points closer to voters once they arrived.

“When those cards are available, the commission has decided that they will move back to the Registration Area levels, to the ward levels, so that people can easily collect their cards,” he said.

He said the arrangement was scheduled to begin on December 1, subject to any further instructions from the commission.