INEC voter register rises above 103m as PVC collection begins Friday

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has risen to more than 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by INEC in collaboration with Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Abuja.

The workshop, held at BON Hotel Octagon, Jahi District, with the theme, “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions,” focused on strengthening collaboration between the electoral management body, the media and civil society ahead of the 2027 elections.

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Amupitan said the Commission’s three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise had attracted more than 10.6 million new applicants, while the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections had been completed.

He added that INEC had also completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup of the voter register.

The INEC chairman announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, and urged eligible citizens to participate in the process.

He said the development was significant as the country approaches the 2027 general elections, adding that INEC was working to make the electoral process transparent, technology-driven and credible.

Amupitan said the Commission remained committed to improving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to ensure that every valid vote counts and is seen to count.

He identified public trust as a key determinant of electoral credibility, stressing that operational efficiency by INEC alone could not guarantee democratic stability.

“The ultimate arbiter of electoral integrity is public trust,” Amupitan said.

He called for stronger partnerships among INEC, editors, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, saying the Commission was prepared to listen to editorial concerns, address operational challenges and provide timely information to prevent misinformation from filling communication gaps.

Amupitan urged newsrooms to establish digital fact-verification desks and pledged that INEC would provide editors with direct access to verify field incidents, logistical developments and security reports in real time.

He also proposed a sustained editorial feedback mechanism between INEC and the Nigerian Guild of Editors to review operational progress and address emerging challenges throughout the 2027 election cycle.

Earlier, the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr Eze Anaba, said the workshop was timely given the country’s proximity to another general election.

Anaba said elections were not merely about casting ballots but also about ensuring that citizens had confidence that their votes would count and that institutions conducting elections would act fairly and professionally.

He urged editors to uphold accuracy, fairness, balance and public interest in electoral reporting, while calling for stronger access to credible and timely information from INEC.