The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for urgent reforms to Nigeria’s voter register, citing issues that outdated entries, including the names of deceased citizens, could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room National Stakeholders Forum on Elections in Abuja on Thursday, INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), revealed that the voter register has not undergone a comprehensive clean-up since 2011.
“I do not want to mention specific names, but in Anambra, a prominent leader, well known to have died many years ago, was still listed in the register. When someone who passed away 15 years ago remains on the voter register, it raises concerns about credibility,” he said.
Amupitan provided an update on the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which concluded its first phase on December 10, noting that 2,685,725 registrations were successfully completed.
Of these, 1,576,137 were carried out online, while 1,109,588 were completed via physical capture.
The highest turnouts were recorded in Osun (208,357), Kaduna (159,669), Plateau (152,650), Imo (145,561), Borno (123,835) and Lagos (123,484).
He announced that the next stage, the claims and objections window, will open on Monday, December 15, urging civil society organisations to mobilise citizens to participate.
“Some of the challenges we face stem from low participation in this stage,” he added.
Phase two of the CVR is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2026, with registration centres relocated closer to wards and communities to improve accessibility, he said.
Amupitan also addressed issues about vote-buying, stating that INEC has engaged security agencies, including the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to provide reports on individuals arrested for financial inducement.
“INEC can only prosecute; we do not have powers to arrest,” he said.
On technological advancements, he revealed the Commission’s use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to enhance transparency.
However, he mentioned that poor network coverage in some areas continues to hinder real-time results upload.
“Achieving real-time upload of results to IReV is still one of our toughest operational battles. While some devices upload immediately, others fail due to unstable network signals,” Amupitan explained.
He added that discussions are ongoing with the Nigerian Communications Commission and mobile network operators to explore alternative solutions, although INEC does not control the underlying telecom infrastructure.
INEC reiterated that the CVR is a statutory exercise allowing eligible Nigerians, including those who have turned 18 or moved residence, to register or transfer their voter records.
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