morganable politics/elections
The development represents a significant increase from the voter register of more than 93 million recorded before the latest CVR exercise.
KaNo—
The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that Nigeria’s national voters’ register has risen to more than 103 million following the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise and the final biometric clean-up of the register.
The INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at a one-day strategic workshop for editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the electoral commission.
Amupitan said the three phases of the CVR exercise produced 10,772,421 new registrations, which were subjected to verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System.
He said the completion of the biometric verification and other processes had pushed the national register beyond the 100 million mark, making more than 103 million Nigerians eligible to participate in the 2027 general elections.
“Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which captured over 10.6 million new applicants, and the completion of the public display of the preliminary register for claims and objections, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System cleanup.
“Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” the chairman declared.
The development represents a significant increase from the voter register of more than 93 million recorded before the latest CVR exercise.
In August, the INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, had projected that the register would cross the 100 million mark after the conclusion of the registration exercise.
By September, Amupitan also said the register was approaching 100 million following the registration of 10,772,421 new voters, subject to biometric verification.
The commission has now completed the process, confirming that the register has crossed the milestone ahead of the 2027 elections.
The chairman also announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026.
According to him, the commission has completed the processing and distribution of the first phase of PVCs to all local government centres ahead of the commencement of collection.
He urged the media to play an active role in sensitising citizens about the collection exercise, particularly by providing information on collection locations and encouraging registered voters to obtain their cards promptly.
Amupitan’s announcement comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the commission also unveiling measures aimed at strengthening the technological and logistical aspects of the polls.
The chairman disclosed that INEC had acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices for deployment during the elections.
He said the new BVAS machines had undergone software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration to strengthen their performance and prevent accreditation bypass and manual manipulation.
“We have instituted hardware, software, and cybersecurity enhancements across our technological architecture. We have acquired 57,000 new BVAS for optimal performance.
“The devices have undergone extensive software hardening, battery optimisation, and biometric calibration to prevent accreditation bypass and eliminate manual manipulation,” Amupitan stated.
The technological upgrades, he said, were part of broader measures being implemented by the commission to strengthen the integrity of the electoral process.
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.
Amupitan said INEC was drawing lessons from recent off-cycle elections and would use the experience to improve its logistics, personnel deployment and technology ahead of the general elections.
He said the commission was targeting a situation where voting would commence simultaneously across all polling units nationwide.
“So some of those lessons from those elections, right from our technology optimisation, must improve. Our logistics must improve.
“I want to see a general election where voting starts in all the polling units in Nigeria at the same time. That is what we are targeting, where logistics is well-addressed, and where our technology works optimally,” he said.
The chairman said INEC had already commenced early procurement and distribution of non-sensitive election materials to its state offices.
He added that the commission had procured new operational pickup vehicles for its state offices and local government areas to facilitate the movement of personnel and election materials.
According to him, nationwide zonal readiness assessments have also commenced, with physical audits and engagements with staff already completed in the South-West and North-West zones.
He explained that the assessments were designed to enable the commission to identify local vulnerabilities, test contingency arrangements and address potential bottlenecks before election day.
Beyond accreditation, Amupitan identified transparent management and declaration of election results as another critical area requiring attention.
He said the commission had taken lessons from the controversies and challenges that followed the 2023 general elections and was determined to ensure that results were managed effectively and transparently.
The chairman said the commission would ensure that election results were declared promptly once the collation process had been completed.
“Because the only way that can save us in this country from all the problems we’ve had since 2023 is if we manage our results effectively, optimally, and transparently, and then ensure that the results are declared as soon as the work of collation is completed,” he said.
He added that the approach would enable citizens to follow the electoral process more closely and reduce the suspicion and misinformation that often accompany delays in the announcement of results.
The commission also disclosed plans to strengthen the electronic transmission and management of polling unit results.
Amupitan said the enhanced electronic EC8A system would ensure that polling unit result sheets were digitised, cryptographically authenticated and uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
He said the measures were intended to improve the credibility, security and transparency of the results management process.
Meanwhile, the commission has also declared a firm stance against vote-buying ahead of the 2027 elections.
Amupitan said INEC had entered into a strengthened partnership with the Federal Ministry of Justice and anti-corruption agencies to combat the practice.
He listed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit among agencies involved in the initiative.
According to him, joint financial monitoring teams would be deployed to track illegal campaign spending and conduct undercover surveillance at polling units across the country.
“The integrity of the ballot box is fatally compromised when a citizen’s vote is treated as a commodity for sale. The commission is taking an uncompromising stance against vote-buying in all its forms ahead of the 2027 general election,” he said.
Amupitan warned political parties, candidates and other political actors against attempting to induce voters with cash, saying those found culpable would face arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.
“Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” he stated.
With the voters’ register now above 103 million and preparations for the 2027 elections gathering pace, the commission faces the task of translating its technological, logistical and anti-vote-buying measures into a credible electoral process.
The success of the preparations, particularly the timely distribution of PVCs, efficient deployment of election materials, simultaneous commencement of voting and transparent results management, will be closely watched as Nigerians prepare for another general election.
