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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the start of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) distribution and the display of Sokoto’s preliminary voter register from Friday.
Sokoto Resident Electoral Commissioner, Umar Yusuf Garba, disclosed this on Thursday during a briefing with journalists at the NUJ press centre. He said the exercise is part of INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Garba said the exercise will allow registered voters to verify their details and collect their PVCs. The exercise will run until Thursday, October 15, across Registration Area centres in the state.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission will commence the display of the preliminary register of voters for claims and objections, as well as the distribution of PVCs from the 9th to the 15th of October 2026,” Garba said.
The exercise will hold at Registration Area centres, especially in locations without security concerns. According to Garba, the PVCs available for collection are for voters who registered between August 18 and December 10, 2025.
“The PVCs currently available are exclusively for newly registered voters from the first phase of the last continuous voter registration exercise,” he explained.
However, PVCs linked to lost or damaged cards, transfers and updates are not yet ready for collection. The same applies to registrations completed during the second and third phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
Garba said INEC would announce when those PVCs become available. After October 15, PVC distribution will continue at INEC offices across Sokoto’s 23 local government areas.
“This will enable eligible voters who could not collect their cards at the Registration Area level to do so,” he said.
Meanwhile, Garba urged voters to check their names, photographs and other details on the preliminary register. He also asked them to report errors, omissions or objections through the approved channels.
The exercise is being conducted under Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires displaying the voter register before an election. On security, Garba said INEC had continued to work with security agencies throughout the voter registration process.
“Throughout the registration of voters held recently, the commission took the advice of security agencies very seriously. This contributed to a safe process without any casualties,” he said.
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He also said the commission was working with security agencies to determine the number of internally displaced persons in Sokoto. According to him, INEC is exploring ways to allow IDPs in recognised camps to participate in the 2027 elections.
“The commission is always talking with security agencies to ascertain the number of IDPs in the state. We are working to ensure that they vote once they are in official and recognised camps,” he said.
Garba added that INEC would announce the total number of registered voters in Sokoto at the appropriate time. He urged political parties, voters and other stakeholders to cooperate with electoral officials for a peaceful and credible exercise.
