The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed its planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise, rescheduling it to a period after the 2027 General Election.
The decision was reached on Friday during a meeting between the Commission and its Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), where the proposed exercise featured prominently among key agenda items.
Despite the shift, INEC reassured Nigerians of its commitment to credible electoral processes.
In a statement signed by National Commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the Commission emphasized that it “remains committed to the conduct of free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections.”
The voter revalidation exercise was designed as a comprehensive effort to sanitise and strengthen Nigeria’s National Register of Voters. It aimed to verify and update voter records, correct inaccurate personal information, remove duplicate and ineligible entries, and provide registered voters the opportunity to confirm or amend their details.
INEC had previously described the initiative as a vital step toward safeguarding the integrity of the voter register ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested 2027 election cycle.
However, the postponement coming amid opposition from some political parties has raised fresh concerns about the reliability of the current voter register as the country approaches the polls.
Nigeria’s voter register has long been criticised for containing outdated information, duplicate entries, and names of ineligible voters, issues that have repeatedly fueled electoral disputes and drawn scrutiny from opposition groups and civil society organisations.
The Commission did not provide reasons for the postponement and gave no indication of a new timeline for the exercise beyond stating it would hold after the 2027 elections.
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