The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that Nigeria’s national register of voters has risen to more than 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at a strategic workshop with media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the commission.
Amupitan said the figure followed the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which attracted 10,772,421 new registrants, subject to final verification.
He said the commission had also completed its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup, while preliminary display of the voter register for claims and objections would take place from October 9 to 15, 2026.
“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 announced that a nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) would commence on Friday, October 9, with newly produced cards distributed to Local Government Area collection centers.
He said the commission had also introduced printable PVC technology to reduce delays in the production and collection of voters’ cards and help prevent disenfranchisement, particularly where cards are lost or stolen.
Amupitan said INEC 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 the commission had deliberately focused on improving tested electoral technologies rather than introducing untested systems shortly before the polls.
According to him, upgraded BVAS machines, an enhanced electronic result management system, and an improved eEC8A form would help ensure that valid votes were properly recorded, authenticated, and uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
He added that INEC was deploying artificial intelligence-driven systems to detect anomalies in database traffic and strengthen cybersecurity around the electoral process.
On campaign financing, Amupitan said INEC 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 would be strengthened around polling units.
“Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” Amupitan said, warning politicians and their agents that violations of the Electoral Act would attract arrest and prosecution.
The INEC chairman also raised concerns over the use of social media to spread false information capable of undermining the electoral process, 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 undermine otherwise credible elections.
Amupitan cited the circulation of old photographs, manipulated images, and fabricated reports during previous elections, including a false report alleging that National Youth Service Corps members had been killed during the Federal Capital Territory elections.
He urged newsrooms to “take a second, a minute to verify information before publishing,” warning that sensationalism must not be allowed to undermine the electoral process.
He identified deepfakes, manipulated audio-visual materials, coordinated fake news, and premature declarations of unofficial results as particular threats ahead of the 2027 polls.
On electoral security, Amupitan said INEC’s early-warning mechanism under the Inter-Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) was monitoring political violence, thuggery, and inflammatory rhetoric.
He warned that no political ambition was worth the loss of Nigerian lives.
The chairman said INEC had completed readiness audits in the South-West and North-West geopolitical zones, with the remaining zones to follow. The audits covered state offices, storage facilities, security protocols, and logistics.
He added that early procurement and distribution of non-sensitive election materials had commenced, while all electoral officers and temporary staff would be required to take an oath of neutrality under the Electoral Act 2026.
Amupitan said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend not only on what happens at polling units but also on how information about the electoral process is generated, verified and disseminated.
He described the relationship among INEC, the media, and civil society as critical to public confidence in the elections.
Earlier, NGE President Eze Anaba called for a credible and transparent electoral process that would ensure voters, rather than the courts, determine election outcomes.
“Elections are not merely about casting ballots. They are about trust. They are about citizens believing that their votes will count, that the process will be transparent, and the institutions responsible for conducting elections will act fairly and professionally,” Anaba said.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna said the workshop was important as the commission had conducted several off-cycle and bye-elections under the present leadership, including the Anambra governorship election, Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, and Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.
He added that INEC had monitored the primaries of all 22 registered political parties participating in the 2027 electoral process.
Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, Akin Akingbulu, called for stronger newsroom verification mechanisms and greater transparency from INEC, while Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, stressed the need for timely communication from the commission to prevent information gaps from becoming breeding grounds for speculation and misinformation.
The workshop, themed “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society, and Electoral Institutions,” was aimed at strengthening collaboration between INEC, the media, and civil society ahead of the 2027 elections.
Credit: tvcnews.tv
