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Ahead of upcoming elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed the use of computer-generated voting slips for individuals without Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

During a quarterly consultative meeting with Residents Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja on Thursday, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu emphasized that PVCs should no longer be the only requirement for voting, particularly with the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Yakubu noted that the commission, having released its comprehensive 524-page report on the 2023 general election, has engaged in extensive consultations with its officials and key stakeholders.

With the conclusion of five major off-cycle governorship elections and nine out of 21 bye-elections since the 2023 General Election, Yakubu stated that this is the ideal time for INEC to begin implementing the recommendations arising from its review of the General Election.

He revealed that through both internal and external consultations, the Commission identified 142 recommendations spanning areas such as preparedness, voter management, voter education, political party and candidate management, electoral operations, and logistics. Other key areas include election personnel, partnerships, election technology, result management, security, electoral offenses, and the legal framework.

Out of these 142 recommendations, 86 require administrative action from the Commission.

“This is followed by 48 recommendations that require action by a variety of stakeholders, including security agencies, mobile network operators, statutory bodies, political parties, transport unions, civil society organisations, and the media.

“On the legal review, there are eight recommendations that require legislative actions by the National Assembly. Very soon, the Commission will make a presentation to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters as they continue to deliberate on electoral reform.

“Among the major highlights of the Commission’s recommendations is the imperative of legal clarity in result management with regard to manual transfer versus the electronic transmission of results.

“The Commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed.

“Those who already have the PVCs can still use them to vote, but going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation. This will not only save costs; it will also eliminate the issues around the collection of PVCs and the diabolical practice of buying up the cards from voters in order to disenfranchise them.

Early voting for journalists and other essential workers.

“The review report also contains recommendations on early/special voting for the millions of Nigerians who do not vote at the moment on account of the roles they play during elections, such as INEC officials, security personnel, ad hoc staff, observers, and journalists who are deployed outside the places where they registered to vote.

“There are also recommendations in support of diaspora voting, the unbundling of the Commission with the establishment of an electoral offences tribunal, and a separate agency to handle the registration and regulation of political parties. Similarly, the Commission will step up action on voter access and distribution to polling units,” he added.

The INEC Chairman also revealed that, as a priority, the Commission plans to establish protocols for cleaning up the voters’ register in partnership with agencies like the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the National Population Commission (NPC).

He added that other areas of reform include advocating for affirmative action to ensure greater participation of underrepresented groups, as well as enhancing voter education and public communication efforts to counter fake news and misinformation.

“Furthermore, the Commission intends to review the mechanisms for a more effective implementation of agreements on logistics with the transport unions and other service providers by consolidating on the recent experience with early deployment and commencement of elections in the recent Ondo State Governorship election,” Yakubu added.