Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has officially surpassed 103 million citizens, setting the stage for Africa’s largest democratic exercise during the upcoming 2027 general elections.
The milestone follows the conclusion of a nationwide, three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise and a comprehensive biometric audit executed by the Automated Biometric Identification System to strip duplicate entries and invalid records from the central database.
Unveiling the official figures at a strategic workshop hosted by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Abuja, INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan confirmed that over 10.6 million new applicants were captured during the latest drive, pushing the national electorate to unprecedented numbers.
To ensure all registered voters can participate seamlessly, Professor Amupitan announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, across all local government centers.
Furthermore, the commission is deploying printable PVC technology in line with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 to eliminate distribution delays and long wait times that historically plagued card pickup.
The chairman urged media houses and civil society groups to actively inform citizens of their pickup locations and drive public engagement ahead of the polls.With the Presidential and National Assembly elections set for January 16, 2027, followed by Governorship and State Assembly polls on February 6, 2027, the electoral umpire detailed critical technological upgrades aimed at restoring public trust.
INEC revealed it has acquired 57,000 newly optimized Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices featuring enhanced battery capacity, biometric calibration, and software hardening designed to eliminate manual manipulation and prevent accreditation bypasses.
According to the commission, an upgraded electronic EC8A system will also digitize, cryptographically authenticate, and transmit polling unit result sheets directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal in real time to guarantee transparent result management.In tandem with technical safeguards, the commission has taken an uncompromising stance against electoral corruption by forming an enforcement coalition with the Ministry of Justice, EFCC, ICPC, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
The electoral umpire said undercover surveillance teams and financial monitoring units will be deployed to polling centers nationwide to track illegal campaign spending and vote-buying, warning political actors that infractions will result in immediate arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026, Professor Amupitan emphasized that the 2027 elections must be decided strictly by the conviction of the voter rather than the depth of a candidate’s pocket.
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