Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, who are seeking to register for Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2027 general elections have expressed frustration over long waiting hours, overcrowding, and inadequate registration facilities at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices.
Overcrowding and Delays at INEC Headquarters
A visit by The Guardian to the INEC Headquarters at No. 10, Olusegun Obasanjo Way, Area 10, FCT, revealed scores of prospective voters gathered both inside and outside the premises. Many said they arrived as early as 7 a.m. but had not been attended to several hours later. This situation occurs as INEC continues the third and final phase of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which began on May 11 and is scheduled to end on July 10, 2026.
Frustration Among Prospective Voters
Among those waiting was a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who said she registered as a voter in 2022 but could no longer find her details in the voter database. Another prospective voter, who identified himself as Jerry, expressed frustration over the pace of the exercise, urging the commission to improve its data management and registration process. He stated, “I have been here since 7 a.m. The staff are around, but the system is very slow. INEC should have a better way of managing data and capturing voters because, as it is, many people may not be able to get their PVCs before the deadline.”
Many prospective voters arrived early to secure positions on a handwritten attendance list, hoping to improve their chances of being captured before the close of business.
INEC Official Blames Late Surge
An INEC official who declined to be named blamed the surge in turnout on Nigerians’ tendency to wait until the final stages of registration before showing up. “When the exercise started, people were not coming. We were looking for people to register and you would hardly see anyone. Now that the deadline is approaching, everybody wants to register at the same time,” the official said.
Similar Situation in Bwari
A similar situation was observed at the INEC office in Bwari, adjacent to the Primary Healthcare Centre. Although the turnout was significantly lower than at the Area 10 headquarters, prospective voters also complained about the slow pace of registration. One of them, Abdullahi Yunusa, told The Guardian that he had been visiting the centre for about a week without completing his registration. He said: “Sometimes, the officials themselves come late, and the process is very slow. I am worried that if this continues, I may not be able to register before the deadline.”
INEC Official Responds
Responding to the complaints, the FCT INEC Administrative Secretary, Abimbola Oladunjoye, said the commission had already registered thousands of voters in the FCT since the commencement of the current phase. “I agree that at a point last week, we had some network challenges, but the issues have been resolved. Since we resumed on Monday, I don’t think we have had any network problem affecting the system,” he stated.
