Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate publication of the preliminary voters’ register warning that its reported absence from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) online portal raises concerns about the credibility of the 2027 general election.
Atiku in a post on his X handle said the reported failure to make the register available online during the announced October 9 to 15 scrutiny period had raised questions about transparency in the electoral process.
INEC had announced that more than 103 million Nigerians had registered to vote but Atiku said members of the public who visited the commission’s portal during the designated period were unable to access the register for scrutiny.
‘INEC has announced more than 103 million registered voters. Nigerians went to its portal to inspect the names and found an empty page. That is an outrage’ he said demanding that the commission make the register available for public inspection.
The former vice-president argued that announcing the number of registered voters was not enough insisting that Nigerians must be able to verify their details identify omissions and challenge suspicious entries before the election.
He cited Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 which he said requires the display of the voters’ register at registration areas and online arguing that compliance should not be treated as optional.
Atiku also questioned an alleged discrepancy in statements attributed to the INEC chairman regarding the timing of the register’s public display.
According to him the chairman reportedly said on October 5 that the exercise had already been completed while the public was subsequently informed that the scrutiny period would run from October 9 to 15.
‘Which statement is true? Where was the register published?’ he asked urging INEC to provide the relevant dates links and records of public access.
The ADC presidential candidate further raised concerns about Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 which he said permits a returning officer to count a ballot paper without the commission’s official mark under specified circumstances provided the officer is satisfied that it came from a book supplied to the polling unit.
He questioned what evidence would establish the origin of such ballot papers and how electoral stakeholders could challenge claims they considered false.
Atiku called on INEC to outline enforceable safeguards against counterfeit ballots and urged the National Assembly to address any gaps that could leave the authenticity of votes dependent on an officer’s unsupported assurance.
He also alleged that INEC had yet to respond to inquiries about the companies awarded contracts to print sensitive election materials.
Atiku maintained that political parties and presidential candidates had a legitimate interest in understanding the procedures and safeguards governing the election adding that transparency was essential to public confidence in the electoral process.
Addressing President Bola Tinubu he linked the demand for electoral transparency to Nigerians’ concerns about the rising cost of living and insecurity.
‘You cannot hide their names from scrutiny and then ask them to trust the election conducted with that list’ he said insisting that voters must be allowed to inspect the register challenge false entries and correct omissions.
He said the ADC and its stakeholders would challenge any denial of those rights through public advocacy and lawful means.