INEC Accused of Issuing PVCs to Wrong Persons in Kwali, Abuja, as AAC Candidate Raises Alarm

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been accused of improperly issuing Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, allegedly resulting in registered voters being denied their cards while others received them instead.

The allegation was made in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday by a user identified as @Enyowins, the African Action Congress (AAC) councillorship candidate for Pai Ward. In the video, the candidate claimed that his PVC, which he personally registered for, was wrongly issued to another individual by INEC officials.

“The INEC in Kwali is giving the voters’ cards of registered voters to other people,” he alleged. “My voters’ card has been given to someone else by INEC Nigeria. What kind of madness is this?”

In the video clip seen by chronicles Reporters on Saturday, another affected voter was heard expressing frustration over the situation. The voter claimed that hundreds of PVCs had been improperly collected on behalf of other individuals.

“As it stands now, this is INEC office. Usman Godwin’s voter’s card has been collected from INEC,” the voter said.

“This is one among 250 voters’ cards collected in the INEC office, thumb-printed, signed and collected on behalf of individuals, including myself, and there’s no way the PVC could be found.”

He questioned the actions of INEC officials, demanding accountability.

“We are asking the INEC chairman and officials here: who took those voters’ cards? How did they hand over voters’ cards to people who did not register for them? I am an example, and so many of us are here. We want to know where our voters’ cards are, who took them, and why they gave them out,” he said.

The video has since sparked widespread concern online, with many voters expressing fear that similar irregularities could disenfranchise large numbers of citizens ahead of the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections and future polls.

The incident has heightened existing public anxiety about the integrity of voter registration and PVC distribution processes, particularly in areas where logistical challenges and administrative lapses have previously been reported.

Efforts to obtain a response from INEC headquarters in Abuja were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. The electoral commission has not yet reacted to the allegations or addressed the specific claims raised by the AAC candidate and other affected voters.

Observers warn that irregularities in PVC distribution could seriously undermine citizens’ ability to participate in elections and further erode public confidence in the electoral system.

Residents of Kwali and political stakeholders have called on INEC to urgently investigate the allegations, recover and properly reissue affected PVCs, and put safeguards in place to prevent a recurrence.

As the controversy continues, voters in Kwali and beyond are watching closely, concerned about both their individual right to vote and the broader credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.