INEC warns poor voter register quality could undermine electoral credibility

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised alarm over the quality of the country’s voter register, saying it has not been comprehensively cleaned in more than a decade and still contains inaccurate entries. 

Professor Joash Amupitan, the INEC chairman, spoke on Thursday at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room National Stakeholders Forum on Elections in Abuja, noting that the voter roll has not been fully updated since 2011. He said this raises concerns about the accuracy and credibility of the register with elections approaching.

Amupitan highlighted that the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise has recorded 2,685,725 completed registrations to date, with more than 1.5 million processed online and over 1.1 million through physical registration centres. He said Phase One of the CVR concluded on December 10, and the commission will open a claims and objections period starting December 15, allowing citizens to verify and correct entries before final data consolidation.

The INEC chairman appealed to civil society groups and the public to take part in the claims and objections process, saying low participation could limit efforts to remove inaccurate records, including names of deceased individuals that remain on the register. As an example, he noted that in Anambra State, a well‑known individual who died many years ago was still listed.

Phase Two of the CVR is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2026, with registration centres to be moved closer to local wards and communities to improve access. Amupitan urged citizens to make use of the opportunity to ensure the register more accurately reflects eligible voters.

He also touched on electoral technology, saying tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal have improved transparency, but network reliability remains a challenge in some areas.

The commission’s comments come as it prepares for future elections and works to enhance confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.