Founder of the Anap Foundation, Atedo Peterside, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow registered voters who do not possess Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to participate in elections, arguing that failure to collect the card should not deny citizens their right to vote.
Peterside made the call during an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, where he also commended INEC for extending the voter registration deadline ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He argued that the current system, which requires voters to present PVCs before voting, has contributed to the disenfranchisement of many eligible Nigerians.
“This is also the part I am talking about: If somebody has registered and in the past he didn’t have his voters’ card, but he has a passport, or he has the name, I think he should be allowed to vote,” Peterside said.
“Because if he didn’t collect his PVC, that should not disqualify him. I believe this time, slowly, INEC is agreeing that this whole idea of having people disenfranchised because they couldn’t collect a PVC—which you control who collects—is failing.
“If somebody has registered, for goodness sake, the responsibility for getting his PVC to him should be INEC’s,” he added.
The economist and entrepreneur further urged the electoral body to introduce a system that would enable registered voters to download digital versions of their PVCs.
“Allow him to download his PVC and go and vote. Otherwise, the PVC is being used as an instrument to disenfranchise selected voters, and it happens massively across the country, and it must stop,” Peterside stated.
He reiterated the need for technology-driven solutions to improve voter participation and reduce barriers to the electoral process.
“So I believe this time you can get your PVC, download it yourself, but we have to make sure these things happen,” he said.
Peterside, whose non-partisan civic engagement initiative, GoNigeria, is promoting voter education across the country, said the platform aims to encourage greater participation in elections, particularly among young Nigerians.
He also welcomed INEC’s decision to extend the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, describing it as a positive step toward expanding voter inclusion.
“So let’s applaud them for doing something positive, because some of us feared that INEC was in a hurry to impose a deadline, lock out all these people, and possibly reduce the number of registered voters by making sure that many of the younger ones are disenfranchised,” he said.
According to him, the initial July 10 deadline was too restrictive and could have prevented many eligible Nigerians from registering to vote ahead of the 2027 polls.
“I think many of these deadlines [from INEC] are much too early. So I’m happy that in their own wisdom they’ve come out. So let’s applaud them.
“So, that is on record that sometimes we applaud INEC. It’s a very good thing, because I don’t see why—I mean, the 10th of July to me was too restrictive; it was never feasible—so adding two more weeks is something positive,” Peterside added.
The call comes amid ongoing efforts by INEC to increase voter registration and participation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with stakeholders advocating reforms aimed at making the electoral process more accessible and inclusive for eligible voters.
