Voters’ register hits 103m ahead of polls – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the number of registered voters in Nigeria has risen to more than 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday 5 October, in Abuja at a strategic workshop with media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the commission.
The workshop was themed, “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions.”
Amupitan said the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise attracted 10,772,421 new registrants, comprising 2,611,266 in the first phase, 4,121,835 in the second and 3,867,997 in the third phase.
He, however, said the figures remained subject to final verification following the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) exercise.
“Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which captured over 10.6 million new applicants, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup. Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” he said.
The INEC chairman said the commission had completed eight of the 14 major statutory activities contained in its timetable for the 2027 elections, describing the preparations as having entered the “amber zone” as the election countdown intensifies.
He said the preliminary display of the voters’ register for claims and objections would take place from October 9 to 15, 2026.
Amupitan also announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) would commence on Friday, October 9, with newly produced cards to be distributed to Local Government Area collection centres.
He said the commission had introduced printable PVC technology to reduce the waiting period for voters to obtain their cards.
According to him, the technology would also help eligible voters who lose their cards or have them stolen to avoid being disenfranchised.
The commission, Amupitan said, had acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines as part of efforts to strengthen its technological infrastructure ahead of the elections.
He said INEC deliberately chose to improve existing electoral technologies rather than introduce untested systems shortly before the 2027 elections.
According to him, the upgraded BVAS, enhanced electronic result management system and other technologies were being deployed to ensure that every valid vote counted and was seen to count.
He said the commission had also introduced an enhanced eEC8A form designed to digitise and cryptographically authenticate polling-unit results before their upload to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Amupitan added that INEC was deploying artificial intelligence-driven systems to detect anomalies in database traffic and strengthen cybersecurity around the electoral process.
On vote-buying and illegal campaign financing, the INEC chairman said the commission was working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to monitor campaign spending.
He said a joint financial monitoring mechanism would track suspicious and illegal campaign expenditure, while surveillance around polling units would also be strengthened and warned politicians and their agents that violations of the Electoral Act would attract arrest and prosecution.
The INEC chairman also expressed concern over the spread of false information on social media, describing malicious disinformation as “citizenship terrorism through social media.”
He urged editors and journalists to verify information before publication, warning that false reports could suppress voter turnout, create panic and ultimately undermine credible elections.
Amupitan recalled instances where old photographs, manipulated images and fabricated reports had been presented as current election-related events.
He said INEC was particularly concerned about deepfakes, manipulated audio-visual materials, coordinated fake news and premature declaration of unofficial results.
The chairman said INEC was also strengthening logistics and field operations, adding that readiness audits had been completed in the South-West and North-West geopolitical zones.
He added that all electoral officers and temporary staff would be required to take an oath of neutrality under Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026.
Earlier, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba, called for a credible and transparent electoral process that would ensure voters, rather than the courts, determine the outcome of elections.
Anaba said elections were not merely about casting ballots but about building citizens’ confidence that their votes would count and that institutions responsible for conducting elections would act fairly and professionally.
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