Politics
NIGERIA’S VOTER REGISTER RISES ABOVE 103 MILLION AHEAD OF 2027 ELECTIONS
Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has crossed the 103 million mark ahead of the 2027 general elections, following the completion of the country’s ...
By Patience
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed the development on Monday in Abuja during a strategic workshop with media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission.
The latest figure represents a significant increase in the number of registered voters as INEC continues preparations for the 2027 elections.
OVER 10.7 MILLION NEW REGISTRATIONS RECORDED
INEC said its three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise produced a total of 10,772,421 new registrations nationwide.
The first phase, which ran from August 25 to December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations. The second phase, conducted between January 5 and April 17, 2026, produced another 4,121,835 registrations.
The third phase, which took place from May 11 to July 26, 2026, added 3,867,997 new registrations.
INEC noted that the figures remain subject to verification through its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
BIOMETRIC CLEANUP COMPLETED
According to the electoral commission, the final ABIS cleanup of the voter register has now been completed following the conclusion of the registration exercise.
INEC said the preliminary register will be displayed from October 9 to 15 to allow registered voters to examine their details and raise claims or objections where necessary.
The commission has also introduced printable Permanent Voter Card technology, which it says is intended to reduce the waiting period associated with the production and collection of voter cards.
PVC COLLECTION TO BEGIN OCTOBER 9
INEC announced that nationwide collection of newly produced Permanent Voter Cards will begin on Friday, October 9, 2026.
The commission said the cards will be distributed through Local Government Area collection centres and urged registered voters to obtain their cards and ensure that their details are correctly captured.
The development comes as preparations for the 2027 elections move further ahead, with INEC saying it has completed eight of the 14 major statutory activities contained in its election timetable.
INEC STRENGTHENS ELECTORAL TECHNOLOGY
Beyond voter registration, the commission said it is upgrading its electoral technology ahead of the 2027 polls.
INEC disclosed that it had acquired 57,000 new BVAS machines, with improvements being made to existing electoral technology rather than introducing an entirely untested system shortly before the elections.
The commission also said it was strengthening its result-management and cybersecurity systems, including an enhanced electronic result form designed to support the authentication and transmission of polling-unit results.
INEC’s latest voter figure places the country’s electoral preparations at a significant stage as political parties, candidates and eligible voters begin moving towards the 2027 general elections.