INEC Under Fire as Missing Voters’ Register Sparks 2027 Election Transparency Row

INEC Under Fire as Missing Voters’ Register Sparks 2027 Election Transparency Row

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has come under scrutiny after explaining why Nigeria’s preliminary voters’ register was not uploaded to its official website during the period scheduled for public scrutiny, despite being displayed physically at registration areas across the country.

 

The development has triggered concerns about transparency and compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 general elections.

 

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, reportedly explained that the register had been made available at the wards but was not uploaded to the commission’s website.

 

“The voter register has been published, but in the wards. It just wasn’t published on our website,” Haruna was quoted as saying by *The PUNCH*.

 

The explanation followed complaints that the commission’s online portal did not provide access to the preliminary register during the period designated for voters to check their registration details and raise objections where necessary.

 

INEC had announced that the preliminary voters’ register would be displayed nationwide from October 9 to 15, 2026, to enable registered voters to verify their details and submit claims or objections concerning errors, omissions or questionable entries.

 

The controversy has raised questions about whether physical display alone satisfies the legal requirements for the exercise, particularly for voters who cannot easily travel to their registration areas.

 

In a separate explanation reported by *Premium Times*, Haruna said the commission was receiving and compiling claims and objections arising from the physical display of the register.

 

According to the report, INEC planned to prepare a clean copy for publication by December 15, 2026.

 

However, the proposed date has not, by itself, resolved concerns about why the preliminary register was unavailable online during the stipulated period for public scrutiny.

 

Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires INEC to designate a seven-day period for public scrutiny of the voters’ register, with copies made available at registration areas and on its official website or another website established for that purpose.

 

The provision is designed to give registered voters and other interested persons an opportunity to identify errors, omissions and questionable entries before the register is finalised. It also provides a framework for claims and objections concerning the inclusion or omission of names and the correction of personal details.

 

Section 19(5) prescribes a penalty for an INEC official who fails to display or publish the register as required. The provision specifies a fine of ₦100,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.

 

The central legal question is whether displaying the register physically without making it available online during the stipulated period satisfies the requirements of the law. The controversy has therefore placed the commission’s handling of the exercise under renewed scrutiny.

 

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has also criticised INEC over the absence of the preliminary register from its website, calling for the list to be made accessible so that voters can verify whether their names and personal details have been properly captured.

 

Atiku’s position is that announcing the total number of registered voters is not sufficient to enable individuals to determine whether their names appear correctly on the register. Voters need access to the detailed list to identify omissions and other discrepancies and take appropriate steps to address them.

 

The controversy has added to concerns among political stakeholders and election observers about the accessibility of electoral information ahead of the 2027 polls.

 

It comes after INEC announced that Nigeria’s national register of voters had exceeded 103 million following the completion of the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and subsequent biometric checks.

 

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, disclosed the figure during an engagement with media executives in Abuja in early October. The registration exercise recorded more than 10.7 million new registrants across its three phases, subject to the commission’s verification processes.

 

Although the aggregate figure provides an indication of the size of Nigeria’s voting population, it does not enable individual voters to confirm whether their names and personal details have been correctly captured. That is why the preliminary display is an important safeguard against errors, omissions and questionable entries.

 

The absence of online access has practical implications for voters who live far from their registration areas or cannot easily visit INEC offices. Making the register available online would allow them to check their details more conveniently and identify corrections that may be required.

 

Online publication would also provide political parties, election observers and other stakeholders with an additional means of scrutinising the register and raising concerns through the appropriate procedures.

 

Although INEC maintains that the preliminary register was displayed physically at registration areas, questions remain about the failure to upload it to the website during the announced period and the implications for public access and electoral transparency.

 

With preparations for the 2027 general elections gathering momentum, the commission faces pressure to clarify the circumstances surrounding the omission and explain how affected voters will be able to exercise their rights to scrutiny and objection.

 

INEC’s reported plan to publish a clean copy by December 15, 2026, is expected to attract close attention from political parties, civil society organisations and the public.

 

However, the planned publication does not automatically settle questions about whether the earlier exercise complied with the law. The commission’s explanation, the timing of online publication and the practical access available to voters remain central to the debate over the credibility and transparency of Nigeria’s electoral process.

 

INEC Under Fire as Missing Voters’ Register Sparks 2027 Election Transparency Row