The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said about 295,856 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), remain unclaimed in Ondo State. 

This came amid preparation for the resumption of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

Recall that INEC on Monday announced to begin the CVR by August 12, 2025, as part of preparation for the 2027 general elections.

The electoral body explained that the CVR exercise was in line with constitutional provisions to accommodate those who had attained 18 years after the previous election.

INEC also noted that it would commence the executive with online pre-registration, which would be done through the INEC website across the 36 states of the federation. 

Speaking on Tuesday at the INEC headquarters in Akure, the Residents Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Oluwatoyin Babalola, lamented the numbers of uncollected PVCs in the state.

Mrs Babalola noted that the development was worrisome and called for a collective effort from the media, civil society, political parties, and traditional rulers. 

She disclosed that of the 2,053,061 registered voters in the state, only 1,757,205 had collected their PVCs, saying that a significant portion of the electorate in the state stood disenfranchised if the trend continues.

“The state has a total of 2,053,061 registered voters while 1,757,205 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected, and 295,856 remain uncollected,” she said.

The REC noted that voter registration is one of the pre-election activities in the country, stressing that it was a critical aspect of any democratic process which serves as the gateway and the primary means through which eligible citizens are enfranchised.    

Giving details of the CVR, she said the commencement of the exercise was not a licence for any campaign activities as notice of election had not been issued by the National Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu. 

Mrs Babalola explained that the registration exercise targets seven categories of citizens: new registrants who just turned 18, those unable to register previously, individuals seeking to transfer registration, voters with accreditation issues, citizens needing data updates, those with defaced or lost PVCs, and people collecting unclaimed PVCs.

“The CVR exercise will continue until August 2026; however, it will be temporarily stopped in December 2025 to facilitate the harvesting and processing of data collected from August to December 2025. After this short break, the exercise will resume early next year.”

The REC issued a strong warning against double or multiple registrations, citing the Electoral Act 2022, which prescribes a fine of N100,000, one year imprisonment, or both, for offenders.

“Those already registered must not re-register. It is illegal and punishable under the law,” she cautioned.

Mrs Babalola stated that 19 centres designated for the exercise were ready for the exercise, while the INEC Enrolment Devices (IVEDs) required for the exercise were also available in sufficient quantity, well labelled, fully charged, and ready for deployment.