Nigeria’s national register of voters has risen to more than 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.
INEC chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday at a strategic workshop for media executives in Abuja.
The workshop, themed ‘Strengthening democracy through partnership among editors, civil society and electoral institutions’, was organised by INEC in collaboration with Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
Amupitan said INEC’s three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise attracted more than 10.6 million new applicants.
INEC said the exercise recorded 10,772,421 new registrations across the three phases.
The commission has also completed the public display of the preliminary register for claims and objections and the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup.
PVC collection begins October 9
Amupitan said nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would commence on October 9.
He urged eligible citizens who participated in the registration exercise to collect their cards and prepare to participate in the 2027 elections.
INEC has said Phase One PVCs have been processed and distributed to local government collection centres ahead of the nationwide exercise.
INEC promises stronger election technology
Amupitan said the commission remained committed to improving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to strengthen the credibility and transparency of elections.
“The ultimate arbiter of electoral integrity is public trust,” he said.
The INEC chairman called for stronger collaboration among the commission, media organisations, civil society groups and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said INEC was prepared to listen to editorial concerns, address operational challenges and provide timely information to prevent misinformation from filling communication gaps.
Amupitan also said the commission would provide editors with direct access to verify field incidents, logistical developments and security reports in real time.
He proposed a sustained editorial feedback mechanism between INEC and the NGE to review the commission’s operational progress and address emerging challenges throughout the 2027 election cycle.
According to Amupitan, stronger engagement with the media would help ensure accurate information reaches voters, particularly when electoral activities generate heightened public interest.
DAI identifies key challenges
Rudolf Elbling, team leader at DAI, said credible elections depended not only on effective electoral administration but also on professional, ethical and fact-based journalism.
He identified electoral integrity, election technology, the security of journalists and voters, and information disorder as major challenges confronting the media ahead of the 2027 elections.
Elbling said journalists had an important role to play in providing voters with accurate information and holding electoral institutions and other stakeholders accountable.
The workshop brought together electoral officials, editors, civil society representatives and other stakeholders to strengthen cooperation and improve public communication ahead of the 2027 elections.
