The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oyo State has commenced zonal stakeholders’ engagement as part of preparations for the 2027 general election.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the programme in Ibadan on Wednesday, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Prof. Adeniran Tella, called for the collection of 649,841 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the commission’s custody.
Tella said that the collection of PVCs in INEC custody was one of the factors that would determine the credibility of the 2027 general election in the state.
According to him, Oyo State ranks sixth nationally with 3,588,111 registered voters, but 649,841 PVCs remain uncollected.
He noted that Ibadan zone alone accounted for 439,084 of the uncollected PVCs.
“These figures are deeply concerning, and they impose a duty on every stakeholder in Ibadan zone to take this message to the grassroots so that owners of such PVCs will come forward to collect them.
“We urge traditional rulers, community leaders, religious organisations, market associations, youth groups, and political parties to assist in prevailing on owners of the uncollected PVCs to collect them,” he said.
He maintained that the PVC remains the instrument for performing civic responsibility.
Tella announced that the commission has commenced distribution of the first batch of the newly printed 77,015 PVCs across all 33 INEC local government offices in the state.
He, however, warned that collection was strictly by personal appearance, not by proxy.
He also said the old uncollected PVCs from the 2023 general election were also available at the same offices.
The REC further disclosed that the commission would deploy artificial intelligence to support its activities for best results during the forthcoming general elections.
He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed for fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation.
According to him, the commission has procured additional new BVAS devices and is hardening the existing fleet to ensure rapid verification, extended battery life, and seamless offline-to-online data synchronisation.
He solicited the cooperation of all stakeholders, saying a credible election is not a favour the commission grants to stakeholders, but a product of the commission and stakeholders working in mutual scrutiny and respect.
In his goodwill message, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, who was represented by Chief Abiola Iyiola, commended the commission for its collaborative efforts towards credible elections.
Ladoja urged the commission to embrace unbiased, transparent, fair conduct of the 2027 elections, calling on political parties to abide by the rules of the game.
Speaking on behalf of the Army, Lt. Col. A. Sanusi, said the military would continue to support the commission in accordance with the Constitution of the country.
On his part, the Divisional Police Officer of Mapo, Ibadan, Mr Akanbi Tunde, said police were ready to ensure violence-free elections.
The state chairman of IPAC, Mr Opeyemi Akinade, noted that the success of the 2027 general election depends on the activities of political parties.
Akinade assured INEC that political parties would abide by the electoral rules and regulations, pledging that there will be no violence.
Newsextra24 reports that politicians, religious leaders, youth association representatives, market leaders among others attended the programme.
