The 2023 election is roughly 350 days away.
Last year, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu at a one-day public hearing on the National Electoral Offences Commission (Establishment) Bill 2021, organised by the Senate Committee on INEC disclosed that the 2023 general election will hold on Saturday, February 18, 2023.
“By the principle established by the Commission, the 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 18th February 2023….” the INEC Chairman said.
For many, it will be the first time they will exercise their voting rights, having attained the voting age (18 years) as stipulated by law. For others, they had missed the chance to register for their voter’s card which legitimises their right to exercise their franchise.
As such, they will need to get their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to be able to participate in the forthcoming election and subsequent ones in the country and also join in deciding who will lead them at the different levels of government.
A snap week-long Twitter poll conducted by Dataphyte revealed that about 50% of respondents may not participate in the upcoming elections because of the difficulty in getting PVCs.
Civic Education is a critical part of the media’s functions and so Dataphyte has undertaken the task of explaining the simple steps eligible voters have to follow to get their PVCs and to participate in the forthcoming election.
Step 1: Visit the Portal
Unlike in previous years, INEC has launched an online portal where eligible voters can register for their PVC, and this is how it works.
For new voters who do not already have a PVC, the first step is to log in to https://cvr.inecnigeria.org/, then click on the “sign in/register” button.
You can create an account either by just signing in with your Google account or you fill out the form provided to create an account using a valid email address.
It is advised that a valid email address is used because that is where you will receive the link to verify your account.
After you click on the link to verify your account, you will be redirected to the registration page with a message like the one below.
Type in your email address and the password you have created then click on the login button.
After you do that, you will see a page like the one below.
Click on “start registration’ if it is your first time getting a PVC. When you do that, a declaration page will pop up.
Ensure to click on “yes”.
Step 2: Provide Accurate Information
After you have responded yes to the declaration section, you are required to provide accurate information, the requested information includes:
- Biodata: Such as your name, occupation, date of birth, home address, etc.
- Additional information. This includes your level of education, disability if any.
- Residence: This is the state and Local Government of Area (LGA)/City where you live in.
- Birth information: The country, state, and LGA/City where you were born.
- Origin information: The country, state, LGA, and village where you hail from.
- Polling/Voting Unit: This is where you will want to vote.
At the end of the page, after you fill in all your information, you will also be asked to upload supporting documents like your National I.D card.
Although not marked as compulsory, you can take a snapshot of your national identity card and upload it, then click on the save and continue button. After you do this, you proceed to upload your photograph.
To upload your photograph, you will click on the “start camera” button to take a snapshot of yourself. Two photographs are to be uploaded. One with a clear face and natural expression/straight look (i.e not smiling). The second photograph will also be a clear face but this time a smile is required. INEC wants to know what you look like angry and/or happy.
Samples of both are attached below with the specifications instructions to follow.
Step 3: Schedule an INEC Centre Location and Appointment Date that is Convenient for you
Once the photographs have been successfully uploaded, you then proceed to schedule an appointment, choosing a date and time that is most convenient for you to do your biometric capturing, and a location that is close enough to you. Once this is done, you submit your application.
It is on this date and in this place that you will do your biometric capturing. Biometrics are biological measurements or physical characteristics that can be used to identify individuals, examples are your fingerprints, picture, etc.
There it is, 3 simple steps to join other registered voters to chart a course for the future of the country by voting for the leader of your choice.