144
By Tracy Moses
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to conduct a nationwide voter revalidation exercise ahead of the 2027 General Election as part of efforts to strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s voters’ register.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the Commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for the year 2026.
Amupitan said the exercise had become necessary to address persistent challenges in the register, including duplicate and under-age registrations, non-citizenship entries, deceased voters and inaccurate records.
“A credible register of voters remains the bedrock of free, fair and transparent elections,” the INEC Chairman said, adding that the revalidation would further sanitise the register and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
He noted that Nigeria’s national voter register, first compiled ahead of the 2011 General Election, stood at 93,469,008 voters as of the 2023 General Election and had been continuously updated over the years.
The INEC Chairman also reaffirmed the Commission’s readiness for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, 21st February 2026.
According to him, the election will involve 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units in the six Area Councils of the FCT—Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.
He said a total of 570 candidates would contest for the offices of chairmen, vice-chairmen and councillors across 68 constituencies, noting that campaigns would end on Thursday, 19th February 2026.
Amupitan said non-sensitive election materials had been delivered to Area Council offices, while recruitment and training of ad hoc staff were ongoing.
“BVAS devices are being configured for accreditation and upload of results to the IReV portal, and sensitive materials will be delivered a day before the election,” he said.
He added that a mock accreditation exercise would be conducted on Saturday, 7th February 2026, in 289 selected polling units across the FCT.
The INEC Chairman also disclosed that the Commission would conduct bye-elections on the same day in Ahoada East II and Khana II State Constituencies of Rivers State, as well as Kano Municipal and Ungogo State Constituencies of Kano State, following vacancies created by resignation and deaths of serving lawmakers.
In addition, Amupitan confirmed that the Ekiti State governorship election would hold on 20th June 2026, while the Osun State governorship election was scheduled for 8th August 2026.
On the 2027 General Election, he said the Commission had finalised the timetable and schedule of activities in line with the Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022, but urged support for the speedy amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly.
He disclosed that 2,782,589 eligible voters were registered during the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise conducted between August and December 2025, while the second phase, which commenced on 5th January 2026, would run until 17th April 2026.
Amupitan also appealed to CSOs to mobilise residents of the FCT to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before the end of the distribution exercise on 10th February 2026. “We do not want anyone to be disenfranchised,” he said.
The INEC Chairman called for continued collaboration with civil society groups, particularly in voter education, gender inclusion and efforts to curb voter apathy ahead of the 2027 General Election.