Ahead of the 2023 elections, Nigerian singer, Peter Okoye, popularly known by his stage name Mr P, has stated that henceforth, all visitors without their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) are barred from seeing him.
Mr P, one half of the popular twin duo, PSquare, stated in a tweet on Monday that already, he has instructed his security guards not to allow anyone without a PVC into his compound.
“I have just instructed my security and my management that no one is allowed to visit my house or my office without showing there PVC!”
“This also includes my management team and entourage! No PVC! No Visits and Travels! We must get it right this time and vote out bad leaders,” he tweeted.
Nigeria’s general elections begin on February 25, 2023. Since the 2019 elections, about 20 million Nigerians have turned 18 and are now eligible to vote.
While every Nigerian citizen has the right to vote, logistical obstacles can prevent them from exercising it. One of the most important steps in the voting process can be taken right now, though, and that’s obtaining a PVC.
Voters must present a PVC issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Election Day in order to participate in the voting process. In previous elections, PVC registration was an arduous process that required people to queue for days. Now, any Nigerian citizen with access to the internet can register a PVC by themselves online as INEC has launched an online portal for this purpose. Other than registering for a new PVC, voters can also use the site to transfer their cards to a different state or request a card to be reissued.
The online PVC registration, which started in June 2021, has a deadline of June 30, 2022. As of May 12, 2022 more than 16 million people had registered. However, INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu revealed in April that around 45% of these registrations were declared invalid due to incomplete data and wrong or multiple registrations. In some regions, the chairman added, that percentage was as high as 60%.