The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says Nigeria’s registered voters have increased to more than 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in partnership with the commission.
Amupitan said the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise recorded 10,772,421 new registrants.
He said 2,611,266 people registered during the first phase, while 4,121,835 and 3,867,997 were recorded in the second and third phases, respectively.
The INEC chairman, however, said the figures were still subject to final verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
“Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which captured over 10.6 million new applicants, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup. Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” he said.
Amupitan said INEC had completed eight of the 14 major activities on its timetable for the 2027 elections, adding that preparations had entered the “amber zone” as the election draws closer.
He said the preliminary display of the voters’ register for claims and objections would take place from October 9 to 15.
The commission will also begin nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) on October 9, with newly produced cards to be distributed through Local Government Area collection centres.
According to Amupitan, INEC has introduced printable PVC technology to reduce the time voters spend waiting for their cards. He said the technology would also help people who lose their cards or have them stolen to replace them more easily.
The commission has acquired 57,000 additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines as part of efforts to strengthen its technology ahead of the elections.
Amupitan said INEC preferred upgrading existing electoral technologies rather than introducing untested systems shortly before the 2027 elections.
He said improvements had also been made to the electronic result management system, while an enhanced eEC8A form had been introduced to digitise and authenticate polling-unit results before they are uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing portal.
The INEC chairman said the commission was also deploying artificial intelligence to detect unusual database activity and improve cybersecurity.
On vote-buying and campaign financing, he said INEC was working with the EFCC, ICPC and NFIU to monitor campaign spending and identify suspicious financial activities.
He warned politicians and their agents that breaches of the Electoral Act would lead to arrest and prosecution.
“Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” Amupitan said.
He also raised concerns over misinformation, disinformation and manipulated content on social media, describing malicious disinformation as “citizenship terrorism through social media.”
Amupitan urged journalists and editors to verify information before publication, warning that false reports could discourage voters, cause panic and undermine the credibility of elections.
He said INEC was particularly concerned about deepfakes, manipulated audio and video, coordinated fake news and premature announcements of unofficial election results.
On security, the chairman said the commission’s early-warning mechanism under the Inter-Consultative Committee on Election Security was monitoring political violence, thuggery and inflammatory statements ahead of the polls.
He added that readiness audits had been completed in the South-West and North-West, with other geopolitical zones expected to undergo similar assessments.
Earlier, Nigerian Guild of Editors President, Eze Anaba, called for elections that would allow voters, rather than courts, to determine who wins.
Anaba said Nigeria needed a strong electoral system capable of reflecting the choices of voters and reducing dependence on litigation after elections.