PVC Collection 2026: What to Do Before the January 2027 Election

📌 Quick answer (updated 12 October 2026): Voter registration for the 2027 elections is closed. The last phase of INEC’s Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ended on 26 July 2026, and INEC has announced no new window before the polls. If you registered, nationwide PVC collection started on Friday, 9 October 2026 at INEC local government offices. The presidential election holds on Saturday, 16 January 2027. If you have lost a PVC you already collected, you must report it to INEC by about 18 October 2026 to qualify for a downloadable replacement.

Your 2027 Voter Checklist

Work through these in order. Most people only need steps 1 to 3.

1. Confirm you are on the register. Search for your record on cvr.inecnigeria.org with your Voter Identification Number (VIN), or with your name, date of birth and the state where you registered.
2. Collect your PVC if you have not already. Go in person to the INEC office for your local government area, with your registration slip or VIN and any ID you have. Collection is free.
3. Check your polling unit. It is printed on your card and shown on the portal. If you transferred your registration, your new card is at the INEC office of your new LGA.
4. Lost your card? Act this week. Report it at your LGA office before about 18 October 2026 so you can vote with a downloadable copy. See the section below.
5. Keep it safe until election day. Photograph both sides, keep it away from heat and water, and do not laminate it.

Our step-by-step guide, Is My PVC Ready? How to Check and Where to Collect It, covers the status check, what “Pending” and “Not found” mean, and what to bring.

Voter Registration Has Closed: What That Means

INEC ran the 2025–2026 CVR in three phases:

The national register now has more than 103 million voters. If you never registered, or you only started an online pre-registration and never completed the biometric capture at an INEC centre, you are not on the register and cannot vote in 2027. INEC has not announced any further registration before the elections. The next CVR is expected after the 2027 polls; watch inecnigeria.org and INEC’s official social media accounts.

If you registered before 2025 and collected your card in 2019 or 2023, that card is still valid. You do not need to register again unless you have moved and want to vote somewhere else, and the window for transfers has now closed too.

PVC Collection Has Started: Where and How

INEC began nationwide collection on Friday, 9 October 2026, after sending processed cards to its local government offices. Cards from the first CVR phase (August–December 2025) should already be there. INEC has not given a separate date for 2026 registrants, so check the portal and ask at your LGA office if your record still shows as pending.

• In person only. Nobody can collect your PVC for you.
• What to bring: your registration slip or VIN, a valid ID if you have one (NIN slip, national ID, passport or driver’s licence) and any temporary voter card you were given.
• Check the card before you leave: your name, photo, date of birth and polling unit.
• Collection is free. Anyone asking for money to release or “speed up” your card is breaking the law.
• Hours vary by office. Collection usually runs during the day, and some states move collection to ward centres for a period. Confirm with your state INEC office.

Lost or Damaged PVC: The Downloadable PVC Rule

INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2026 allow a voter to be accredited with either the PVC or a downloadable copy, followed by fingerprint or face verification on the BVAS. The downloadable option has strict conditions:

• It is only for voters who already collected a PVC that has since been lost, defaced or become unreadable.
• It is not a substitute for collecting a new card. First-time registrants must collect the physical PVC.
• You must formally report the problem to INEC at least 90 days before the election. For the presidential election on 16 January 2027, that is about 18 October 2026. Report at your LGA office now and keep any acknowledgement you are given.

INEC tested the downloadable PVC at the Osun governorship election in August 2026. Our downloadable PVC explainer has the full details.

2027 Election Dates

Governorship elections do not hold in the eight states with off-cycle polls: Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun. Their voters still vote for State Assembly members on 6 February. Campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections began on 19 August 2026, and governorship and State Assembly campaigns began on 9 September 2026. All campaigning must stop 24 hours before polling day. For the full timetable and what changed under the Electoral Act 2026, see our 2027 election timetable guide.

What Happens on Election Day

1. Go to the polling unit printed on your PVC. You can only vote there.
2. Join the queue and wait to be accredited.
3. The polling official checks your PVC, or downloadable copy if you qualify, and verifies your fingerprint or face on the BVAS.
4. You receive your ballot paper, mark it in secret and drop it in the ballot box.
5. Results are counted and announced at the polling unit, and INEC uploads them to its result viewing portal.

INEC says it has acquired 57,000 new BVAS devices for the 2027 elections.

Protect Your Vote

• Do not sell or hand over your PVC. Buying, selling or holding someone else’s voter card is an electoral offence.
• Ignore “PVC agents”. Nobody needs to be paid to check your status, release your card or “transfer” you now that the window is closed.
• Use official sources only. Check information on inecnigeria.org, cvr.inecnigeria.org and INEC’s verified social media accounts.

Want to work at the polls? INEC is recruiting ad hoc staff for 2027; see our INEC ad hoc staff recruitment guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is INEC voter registration still open?

No. The final CVR phase ended on 26 July 2026, and INEC has not announced any new registration before the 2027 elections.

When did PVC collection start?

Nationwide PVC collection began on Friday, 9 October 2026 at INEC local government offices.

Can I collect my PVC after the election date is close?

INEC normally keeps collection open until shortly before the election, but it sets a cut-off. Do not wait: offices get very busy in the final weeks.

I lost my PVC. Can I still vote?

Yes, if you already collected it before and you report the loss to INEC at least 90 days before the election, which is about 18 October 2026 for the presidential poll. You can then vote with a downloadable copy after biometric verification.

Can someone collect my PVC for me?

No. You must collect it in person.

When is the 2027 presidential election?

Saturday, 16 January 2027. Governorship and State Assembly elections follow on Saturday, 6 February 2027.

Can I vote with my NIN or registration slip?

No. You need your PVC, or a downloadable copy if you qualify under the lost-card rule.

Sources

1. Independent National Electoral Commission: CVR figures, PVC collection announcement (October 2026) and revised timetable for the 2027 General Election (inecnigeria.org).
2. INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2026.

Last updated: 12 October 2026 · NaijaSabi Civic Desk. INEC can change collection arrangements by state, so confirm with your state or LGA INEC office. NaijaSabi is not affiliated with INEC.