The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will commence a nationwide voter revalidation drive on April 13, 2026, as part of efforts to update the voter register ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a letter signed by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, secretary to the
commission, all resident electoral commissioners (RECs) were asked to commence
necessary preparations for the exercise, including sourcing of personnel and
preparation of INEC voter enrolment devices (IVED).
The letter also listed the timeline for the exercise.
The timeline shows that the exercise will begin at the LGA
level from April 13 to May 2, before moving to the registration area (RA) level
from May 5 to May 11, and subsequently to polling units (PUs) from May 13 to
May 19.
The exercise will then return to the LGA level for a second
phase from May 20 to May 29.
Ahead of the nationwide rollout, the commission on March 30
held a training-of-trainers (ToT) workshop at The Electoral Institute (TEI) to
prepare officials for the exercise.
Kunle Ajayi, chairman of the institute’s board, emphasised
the importance of the exercise, adding that “a credible election starts with a
credible voter register”.
He said it is “critical to ensure the integrity of the
register ahead of the 2027 general election”.
Ajayi urged participants who were drawn from TEI master
trainers and staff of the voter registry and ICT departments to stay committed,
noting that “the success of the revalidation exercise rests on their
shoulders”.
Announcing plans for the revalidation in February, Joash
Amupitan, INEC chairman, said the exercise was necessary to address persistent
challenges associated with the national voters’ register, including duplicate
registrations, underage registrations, registration by non-citizens, inclusion
of deceased persons and incomplete or inaccurate voter records, which
collectively undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
He said although the national register of voters was first
compiled ahead of the 2011 general election and has been continuously updated
and deployed for successive general, off-cycle and by-elections, its
credibility must be periodically reinforced to reflect current realities and
meet public expectations.
“As of the 2023 general election, the register stood at
93,469,008 voters. However, these anomalies continue to generate legitimate
concerns,” Amupitan said.
“A credible register remains the bedrock of free, fair and
transparent elections. No electoral process can command public confidence
without trust in the integrity of its voters’ register.”
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