The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed 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, SAN, disclosed this on Monday at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by the Commission in collaboration with Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Abuja.
The workshop, held at BON Hotel Octagon, Jahi District, Abuja, was themed, “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions.”
Amupitan said the Commission’s three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise attracted more than 10.6 million new applicants.
He said, “The three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration have attracted more than 10.6 million new applicants into the voters’ register.”
He added that the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections had been completed, while the Commission had also concluded the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup of the register.
“We have completed the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections, and we have also completed the final ABIS cleanup of the register,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, urging eligible Nigerians to participate in the process.
He said, “The nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026.”
Amupitan urged eligible citizens to take advantage of the exercise, stressing the importance of having their voter cards ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to him, the Commission was working to ensure that the 2027 electoral process was transparent, technology-driven and credible.
He said, “Our objective is to ensure that the electoral process is transparent, technology-driven and credible.”
The INEC chairman said the Commission would continue to improve the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to strengthen the electoral process.
“We will continue to improve BVAS and IReV to ensure that every valid vote counts and is seen to count,” he said.
Amupitan, however, identified public trust as a major determinant of electoral credibility, stressing that operational efficiency alone could not guarantee democratic stability.
“The ultimate arbiter of electoral integrity is public trust,” he said.
He called for stronger collaboration among INEC, the media, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, saying the Commission was willing to engage with editors throughout the electoral cycle.
“We are prepared to listen to editorial concerns, address operational challenges and provide timely information,” Amupitan said.
He warned that gaps in communication could create room for misinformation, stressing the need for accurate and timely information during the election period.
“We must not allow misinformation to fill communication gaps,” he said.
Amupitan also urged newsrooms to establish digital fact-verification desks, saying this would help strengthen the quality of electoral reporting.
“I urge newsrooms to establish digital fact-verification desks so that information coming from the field can be properly verified before publication,” he said.
He pledged that INEC would provide editors with direct access to verify field incidents, logistical developments and security reports in real time.
“We will provide editors with direct access to verify field incidents, logistical developments and security reports in real time,” the INEC chairman said.
He further proposed a sustained editorial feedback mechanism between INEC and the Nigerian Guild of Editors to review operational progress and resolve emerging challenges throughout the 2027 election cycle.
“We need a sustained editorial feedback mechanism between INEC and the Guild of Editors to review our progress and address emerging challenges,” Amupitan said.
Earlier, NGE President, Mr Eze Anaba, described the workshop as timely, given the country’s proximity to another general election.
Anaba said elections were not merely about casting ballots but about ensuring that citizens had confidence in the electoral process and the institutions responsible for conducting it.
He said, “Elections are not merely about casting ballots. They are about citizens having confidence that their votes will count and that the institutions conducting elections will act fairly and professionally.”
The NGE president urged editors to ensure that electoral reporting was guided by professional standards and the public interest.
“Editors must uphold accuracy, fairness, balance and public interest in their reporting of the 2027 elections,” Anaba said.
He also called for stronger access to credible and timely information from INEC, saying effective communication between the electoral body and the media was essential to building public confidence in the electoral process.