Former Vice President Atiku urges INEC to release voters register before 2027 election

Demand for public access Former vice‑president and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has formally requested that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) make the preliminary voters register available for public inspection. He highlighted that INEC announced more than 103 million registered voters but the register could not be viewed on the commission’s online portal during the scheduled inspection window of 9‑15 October.

Conflicting statements from INEC Atiku pointed out a discrepancy between two statements attributed to the INEC chairman. One reportedly indicated that the public display of the register had already been completed on 5 October, while the commission later announced a seven‑day inspection period starting 9 October. He asked INEC to clarify which timeline was correct and to provide the relevant links, dates and access records.

Legal basis for the request The former vice‑president referenced Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which obliges the electoral body to display the voters register both at registration centres and online for public scrutiny. He argued that without access, voters cannot verify whether their names have been omitted or challenge erroneous entries before the election.

Concerns over ballot‑paper verification In addition to the register issue, Atiku raised concerns about Section 63(2) of the same Act, which allows a returning officer to count a ballot paper lacking the official INEC mark if the officer is satisfied it originated from a supplied ballot book. He warned that the provision could be exploited to introduce counterfeit votes and called for enforceable safeguards to verify the origin of such papers.

Call for action Atiku’s statement, issued through Phrank Shaibu, the ADC campaign council’s director of strategic communication, urged INEC to publish the register broken down by local government area, council and ward, giving voters sufficient time to check their details and request corrections. He also appealed to the National Assembly to close any legislative loopholes that might undermine the integrity of the voting process.

Context ahead of the 2027 polls The demand comes as Nigeria prepares for its 2027 general election, with the size of the electorate and the transparency of the voter list being key issues for all political stakeholders. INEC has not yet responded publicly to Atiku’s requests, leaving the matter unresolved as the election timetable advances.