Nigeria, Oct. 14 -- Members of the National Assembly are proposing an amendment to the Electoral Act to make the use of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) non-compulsory for eligible voters during elections.

The proposal, which seeks to amend Sections 18 and 47 of the 2022 Electoral Act, says that since the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) does not recognise the microchip embedded in the PVC, the card should no longer be a mandatory means of identification for voting.

Contained in a draft of various amendments being considered by the legislature, the proposal instead recommends the use of the National Identification Number (NIN), Nigerian passport, or birth certificate as an acceptable means of identification for voters.

These and...