The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has demanded greater transparency from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the commencement of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection.
Politics Nigeria reports that the party also warned the electoral body against actions capable of favouring the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The council said the credibility of the 2027 general elections would depend largely on INEC’s ability to remain neutral, independent and transparent throughout the electoral process.
The ADC-PCC made its position known on Wednesday in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, following INEC’s World Press Conference on Tuesday.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had announced that PVC collection would commence nationwide on October 9, following the recent voter registration exercise which produced more than 10.7 million new registrations.
Amupitan also called for the removal of bottlenecks affecting PVC distribution at the Local Government Area level to prevent eligible citizens from being disenfranchised by logistical challenges.
Reacting, the ADC-PCC urged INEC to ensure that Nigerians who successfully registered as voters are able to obtain their PVCs, arguing that registration figures would have little value if registered citizens could not access their cards before election day.
Ologbondiyan said the actual number of PVCs collected should be given as much importance as the number of newly registered voters.
“Reading out figures of registration is nothing. What matters is the number of cards actually collected by Nigerians. What gives a citizen power on election day is not that his name is in a register somewhere, but that he has his PVC in his hand,” he said.
The council expressed concern over alleged bureaucratic delays and bottlenecks at PVC collection centres, particularly in areas regarded as strongholds of opposition parties.
It called on INEC to prevent administrative obstacles, delays or unequal access to PVCs from disenfranchising eligible voters.
The ADC-PCC also demanded that the electoral commission demonstrate its independence by resisting any attempt by the APC to influence its decisions or operations.
“We urge INEC to be independent and not take orders from the APC. INEC must remain an unbiased umpire and not operate as an extension of the ruling party,” Ologbondiyan stated.
The council called on Amupitan to decentralise PVC collection to the ward level, extend collection hours and deploy technology that would enable voters to receive notifications when their cards were ready for collection.
It further urged INEC to ensure strict compliance with the Constitution and Electoral Act from voter registration through the declaration of election results.
“The ADC won’t allow anything short of compliance with our electoral laws. We demand full transparency, neutrality and strict adherence to due process from registration to declaration of results,” the statement added.
The campaign council warned that it was monitoring INEC’s activities ahead of the 2027 elections, stressing that Nigerians and the international democratic community were also watching the process.
Ologbondiyan said Nigerians, having endured hardship, hunger and what he described as misgovernance under the APC, viewed the 2027 election as an opportunity to change the government through the ballot.
He warned that any attempt to manipulate the process or tilt it towards the ruling party would face what he described as lawful and resolute resistance from Nigerians.
The ADC-PCC also cautioned against unequal distribution or delayed release of PVCs, saying such practices could undermine confidence in the electoral process and threaten democracy.
“When INEC begins to take dictation from the ruling party, when PVCs are made available in APC strongholds and hidden in opposition areas, then democracy is under threat,” Ologbondiyan said.
He urged Nigerians, particularly first-time voters, not to be discouraged by administrative difficulties but to actively participate in the process and ensure they collect their PVCs.
The ADC-PCC said its presidential candidate remained prepared to participate in the 2027 election provided INEC guaranteed a free, fair, credible and violence-free contest.
“This country belongs to all of us. INEC’s loyalty must be to the Constitution, not to the APC. The ADC stands with Nigerians in demanding an election where votes count and where the PVC truly becomes the weapon of the people to change their destiny,” Ologbondiyan said.
