The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Osun State ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election.
INEC announced the decision in a statement issued on Saturday by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
The commission said the suspension would allow it to compile data on collected and downloaded PVCs and determine the final number of voters eligible to participate in the election.
INEC also announced that voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print their downloadable voter cards.
According to the commission, the deadline is necessary to enable it to conclude the compilation of statistics on PVCs collected across Osun State.
PVC collection in the state began at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28. The exercise was later extended to July 31 following complaints about overcrowding and difficulties faced by voters at collection centres.
The collection subsequently moved to the local government level and continued from August 1 to 7.
INEC further disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the alleged invasion of two collection centres by hoodlums who carted away some PVCs.
The electoral body assured affected voters that the stolen PVCs could not be used to cast ballots and urged those affected to obtain their replacement downloadable copies before the deadline.
INEC reiterated its commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election in Osun State on August 15.
Meanwhile, the commission has approved an extension of the deadline for political parties to upload their lists of candidates for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for the February 2027 General Election.
Haruna said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, August 8, had been extended to Tuesday, August 11, following appeals from political parties seeking additional time to complete the process.