Nigeria’s National Assembly is proposing a major shake-up to the country’s electoral law one that could make the use of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) optional in future elections.
The proposed amendment to the 2022 Electoral Act argues that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the technology used to verify voters does not actually recognise the microchip in PVCs, rendering them less essential.
Under the draft changes to Sections 18 and 47, voters would instead be allowed to download and print their voter’s card anytime, using their National Identification Number (NIN), birth certificate, or Nigerian passport for registration.
Lawmakers say the reform would eliminate PVC buying and selling, one of Nigeria’s recurring electoral offences, while simplifying voter verification.
The proposed legislation, discussed at a public hearing by the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters, also seeks to strengthen result transmission rules. Section 60(5) would now compel presiding officers to transmit results both electronically and manually, ensuring transparency and preventing disputes over delayed uploads.
Civil society groups have backed the move. Akin Akingbolu of Yiaga Africa said making electronic transmission mandatory would “deepen the credibility of elections and ensure votes count.”
Another key proposal, Section 71(2), targets election malpractice. It would criminalise the distribution of unstamped or unsigned ballot papers and result sheets, with offenders facing at least one year in prison or a ₦1 million fine or both.
If passed, the amendment could reshape how Nigerians vote, shifting focus from plastic voter cards to digital verification and setting a new standard for election transparency in Africa’s largest democracy.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")