Abuja residents lament inability to pre-register for PVC on INEC portal

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have expressed frustration over their inability to secure appointment slots on the INEC Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), a pre-registration process that eases the procedure and helps them spend less time at the INEC offices.

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The online platform, designed to allow prospective voters to begin the CVR process remotely before completing biometric capture at designated INEC offices, has for weeks failed to provide appointment slots in several parts of Abuja, according to affected residents.

INEC resumed the final phase of the CVR last month ahead of the 2027 elections in January. The exercise began on Monday, 11 May and continues until Friday, 10 July.

The registration caters to first-time voters and those who wish to transfer their polling units, replace lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), or correct their biodata.

The electoral commission had said eligible Nigerians could complete their personal information online and select nearby INEC offices for fingerprint and biometric capture, a measure aimed at reducing congestion and waiting time at registration centres.

+++No available slot on INEC portal

Residents lament lack of appointment slots

However, some Abuja residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the portal has consistently failed to provide available appointment dates at INEC offices closest to them, discouraging them from completing their registration.

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Christopher Rikko, a realtor in Abuja, said he had repeatedly faced difficulties with voter registration after his previous voter card went missing.

Mr Rikko, who lives in Garki in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), said the INEC portal showed that the only available appointment slots for biometric capture were 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 10th,” 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, said he completed the online registration process, but encountered difficulties when selecting an appointment date for biometric capture.

+++No available slot on INEC portal

According to him, the nearest available option was in Bwari Area Council, which he described as too far from his residence in 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. By implication, residents from AMAC, Gwagwalada, Abaji and Kwali area councils cannot get a slot to take their biometrics at the INEC offices located in their Local Councils.

Other residents have taken their frustrations 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 social media user wondered if the electoral commission was deliberately trying to disenfranchise them.

“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 respond to repeated calls and text messages sent to him, seeking clarification and comments.

However, an official at the commission told PREMIUM TIMES that affected persons can simply go to the INEC offices for registration without getting a ‘time slot’.

The official, who didn’t want to be named because he has no authority to speak to journalists, explained that the commission made it possible to either start the registration online or do everything at the designated INEC offices.