Abuja residents frustrated over PVC pre-registration issues

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are frustrated because they cannot book appointments on the INEC Continuous Voter Registration(CVR) portal. This pre-registration process should help them spend less time at INEC offices.

The online platform allows potential voters to start the CVR process from home before going to INEC offices for biometric capture. But for weeks, many Abuja residents have found no appointment slots available, which has made the process difficult.

INEC resumed the final phase of the CVR last month to prepare for the January 2027 elections. The registration started on Monday, 11 May and will run until Friday, 10 July.

This registration is for first-time voters and those wanting to transfer polling units, replace lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), or correct their biodata.

INEC said eligible Nigerians could fill out their information online and choose nearby INEC offices for biometric capture. This was to help reduce crowding and waiting times at registration centres.

But some Abuja residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the portal has not provided any available appointment dates at their local INEC offices. This has made them less likely to finish their registration.

Christopher Rikko, a realtor in Abuja, said he has had trouble with voter registration since his previous card went missing. He lives in Garki in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). He mentioned that the INEC portal only showed available slots in Kwali Area Council.

“I’m registering afresh online, and at the point of choosing my registration centre and picking an appointment date, the site shows that there are no available slots except in Kwali, which means that all the INEC centres are fully booked from now till July 10,” he said.

“What possible reason could INEC have for why Kwali is the only available option for a fresh registration?”

Another AMAC resident, George Kaduna, finished the online registration but faced issues picking an appointment date for biometric capture. He said the nearest option was in Bwari Area Council, which he felt was too far from Garki.

“Asking me, who stays in Garki, to leave Garki and register in Bwari. I got discouraged and abandoned the process… But I will try again, and if it does not work, I most definitely will call them out on social media,” he said.

For two weeks, our reporter checked the INEC portal. Only Abaji and Kwali INEC offices have available slots. This means residents from AMAC, Gwagwalada, Abaji, and Kwali area councils cannot book slots for their biometrics at local INEC offices.

Other residents have taken their complaints to social media. “No available slots and it’s been like this for weeks; how are people supposed to register?” one Abuja resident, @bomacious, posted on X.

Another user questioned if the electoral commission was trying to keep them from registering. “Is this on purpose?? INEC office in my location is showing no available slots for appointment even though biometric capturing goes on up until July,” the user posted.

INEC Spokesperson, Mohammed Haruna, did not answer repeated calls and messages for comments. But an official at the commission said affected people can go to INEC offices for registration without needing a ‘time slot’.

The official, who wished to remain unnamed, explained that people can either start the registration online or do everything at the designated INEC offices.