The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said Nigeria’s national register of voters has risen to more than 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday at a strategic workshop for editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the commission in Abuja.
Amupitan said the figure followed the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise conducted in line with Section 10 of the Electoral Act 2026.
According to him, the first phase of the exercise, which ran from August 25 to December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 new registrations.
He said a further 4,121,835 voters were registered during the second phase, held between January 5 and April, while the third phase, conducted from May 11 to July 26, produced 3,867,997 new registrations.
‘The total new registration stands at 10,772,421, subject to the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) verification currently being concluded,’ he said.
Amupitan said the commission introduced an Online Registration Portal during the third phase to address challenges associated with distance and time.
He added that INEC also introduced printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in line with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, with the aim of reducing delays in obtaining voter cards.
‘Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which captured over 10.6 million new applicants, and the completion of the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup.
‘Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now more than 103 million,’ Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman said the commission remained committed to preventing the disenfranchisement of eligible voters.
He cited the theft of PVCs in some wards in Osun State as an example, saying the commission deployed technology to replace the affected cards and enable registered voters to participate in the election.
‘I want to place on record that during the Osun election, when PVCs of some wards in some local government were stolen, people thought they would be completely disenfranchised. Instantly, we used this technology to print, not to disable, those PVCs that were stolen.
‘We also implemented the downloadable PVCs, which the electorate used and cast their votes, just to ensure inclusivity and that nobody was disenfranchised,’ he said.
Amupitan announced that nationwide collection of PVCs would begin on October 9 and urged registered voters to collect their cards.
‘We have completed the processing and distribution of Phase 1 PVCs to all local government centres.
‘We appeal to the Nigerian Guild of Editors and all media executives present to leverage your platforms to inform the public, explain collection locations and encourage the registered voters to collect their cards promptly,’ he said.