Nigeria’s national voter register is approaching 100 million registered voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday, September 7, in Lagos, while speaking at a two-day strategic operational workshop for the commission’s administrative secretaries.
According to Amupitan, the latest Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which was conducted in three phases between August 2025 and July 2026, recorded 10,772,421 new registrants.
He, however, noted that the figures remain subject to verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System before they are fully incorporated into the national register.
Amupitan said the growth in the voter population would require stronger preparations ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly in the areas of logistics, voter registration, technology and the deployment of election personnel.
He also announced that INEC would introduce a real-time election readiness tracker to monitor preparations across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The tracker will provide INEC’s leadership with real-time updates on the distribution of election materials, recruitment and training of ad hoc personnel, electoral technology and other preparations.
The commission said the system would be linked to its Election Monitoring and Support Centre dashboard and Election Project Plan, giving Resident Electoral Commissioners, supervising national commissioners and the commission’s headquarters instant visibility into the level of preparedness in each state.
Amupitan said the new system was designed to move INEC away from last-minute preparations and towards what he described as “proactive management” of the electoral process.
He added that INEC was reviewing five major operational areas ahead of the elections: continuous voter registration, logistics and materials management, electoral technology, optimisation of ad hoc staff and financial compliance.
The INEC chairman said the commission had about six months to prepare for the 2027 general elections. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are expected to hold on February 6, 2027.
Amupitan also identified voter apathy, public distrust, misinformation and disinformation as major challenges that could affect the elections. He urged INEC personnel to remain neutral and warned against partisan conduct and administrative negligence.
The commission said it would continue its nationwide readiness assessment, with the ongoing zonal engagements focusing on logistics, technology, security, voter education, recruitment and stakeholder engagement.
