Nigeria's Voter Register Tops 103 million Ahead of 2027:INEC

Nigeria's national register of voters now stands at more than 103 million, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Monday, as the country heads towards the 2027 general elections.

 

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the figure in a keynote address at a strategic workshop for editors organised in Abuja by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the commission.

 

"Nigeria's National Register of Voters is now more than 103 million," Amupitan said.

 

The INEC chairman explained that the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), conducted in line with Section 10 of the Electoral Act 2026, began on Aug. 25, 2025 and ended on Dec. 10, 2025, with 2,611,266 voters registered.

 

According to him, a further 4,121,835 voters were registered in Phase II, held between Jan. 5 and April, while Phase III, held between May 11 and July 26, recorded 3,867,997 voters.

 

"The total new registration stands at 10,772,421, subject to the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) verification currently being concluded," he said.

 

Amupitan added that the commission had completed its final clean-up of the register after the exercise.

 

"Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) 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 (ABIS) cleanup."

 

The chairman said the commission had introduced new technology during the exercise to make registration and card issuance easier for voters.

 

"In the third phase, we introduced the Online Registration Portal technology to eliminate barriers of distance and time.

 

"Furthermore, we introduced Printable PVC technology in line with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 to ensure that waiting months for a card becomes a relic of the past," he said.

 

Amupitan pledged that the commission was committed to ensuring that no voter would be disenfranchised, citing its response in Osun, where some Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were stolen before the election.

 

He said the commission acted promptly so that affected voters could still take part in the poll.

 

"I want to place on record that during the Osun election, when PVCs of some wards in some local governments were stolen, people thought they would be completely disenfranchised, instantly, we used this technology to print, not to disable those PVCs that were stolen.

 

"We also implemented the downloadable PVCs, which the electorate used and cast their votes, just to ensure inclusivity and that nobody was disenfranchised," he said.

 

The INEC chairman reminded Nigerians that nationwide collection of PVCs would begin on Oct. 9, and urged registered voters to come out and collect their cards.

 

"We have completed the processing and distribution of Phase 1 PVCs to all local government centres.

 

"We, appeal to the Nigerian Guild of Editors and all media executives present to leverage your platforms to inform the public, explain collection locations and encourage the registered voters to collect their cards promptly," Amupitan said.