The Presidential Campaign Council of the African Democratic Congress has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission against allowing partisan interests to influence the 2027 general elections, insisting that voter registration figures will have little meaning if eligible Nigerians are unable to collect their Permanent Voter Cards.
The council also called on INEC to decentralise PVC collection to the ward level, extend collection hours and deploy technology to notify voters when their cards are ready for collection.
The ADC-PCC made the demand in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, in reaction to the Commission’s World Press Conference on Tuesday.
Ologbondiyan said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend largely on INEC’s ability to remain independent, transparent and neutral throughout the electoral process.
He said the Commission must ensure that every eligible voter who completes the registration process has an effective opportunity to obtain a PVC before election day.
“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.
“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,” Ologbondiyan said.
The ADC-PCC alleged that bureaucratic bottlenecks and delays at PVC collection centres could disenfranchise voters, particularly in areas regarded as opposition strongholds.
It urged INEC to ensure that administrative procedures did not create unequal access to voter cards or prevent eligible Nigerians from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
“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 said.
The council said the ADC presidential candidate remained prepared to participate in the 2027 election, provided the electoral process was free, fair, credible and devoid of violence or manipulation.
It also pledged to demand compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act throughout the electoral cycle, from voter registration and PVC collection to voting, collation and declaration of 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 said.
The party further accused INEC of risking public confidence in the electoral process if voters were subjected to unequal access to PVCs.
“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.
The council said it was closely monitoring INEC’s preparations for the 2027 elections, adding that Nigerians and the international democratic community were also watching the process.
It urged INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, to take immediate steps to make PVC collection more accessible, particularly by moving collection points closer to voters.
The ADC-PCC also appealed to Nigerians, especially first-time voters, not to become discouraged by administrative difficulties but to complete the electoral process and ensure that they collect their PVCs.
Ologbondiyan said Nigerians had endured significant economic hardship and were looking to the 2027 elections as an opportunity to determine the direction of the country through the ballot.
“Let it be clear to INEC that the 2027 general election is not business as usual. Nigerians have endured hardship, hunger and misgovernance under the APC. They see 2027 as an opportunity for a rescue mission,” he said.
He warned that any attempt to manipulate the electoral process in favour of the ruling party would face resistance through lawful and democratic means.
The ADC-PCC said its demand for neutrality extended beyond PVC collection to the conduct of the entire election, stressing that INEC’s loyalty should be to the Constitution and the Nigerian people rather than any political party.