A legal deadline for the 2027 voter register has passed without the list appearing online, and the dispute has quickly become political.
What the law says
Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), not later than 90 days before a general election, to set aside seven days for the register of every local government, area council and ward to be displayed at registration areas and published on its website. Voters then have the chance to raise claims and objections, which INEC must consider within 14 days.
With the presidential and National Assembly elections on 16 January 2027, that put the deadline at 18 October 2026.
What INEC did
INEC displayed the preliminary register at registration areas nationwide from 9 to 15 October. But its online display portal still showed “There are currently no preliminary registers to display” on 21 October, Premium Times reported.
INEC’s spokesperson, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission had published the register for claims and objections at registration areas between 9 and 15 October, and that a clean copy would be published by the 15 December deadline. He did not answer follow-up questions about online publication.
A Lagos lawyer, Mujeeb Abdulwasiu, told Premium Times the omission was “clearly a breach”, arguing that the law requires both physical and online publication. Section 19(5) makes an official who fails to display or publish the register liable to up to six months in prison, a ₦100,000 fine, or both.
Atiku: “Show Nigerians the register”
On Thursday 22 October, Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, demanded immediate publication of the register of more than 103 million voters, broken down by local government, area council and ward. “A figure cannot answer an objection,” his statement said. “The right to vote begins with the right to know that your name is on the list.”
He also asked INEC to explain conflicting statements about when the display took place, to close what he called a loophole in section 63(2), which allows returning officers to count ballot papers without INEC’s official mark if they came from a book supplied to the polling unit, and to name the companies printing sensitive election materials. INEC had not responded to those points.
What voters can do now
Voters who want to confirm their details can check at their INEC registration area office and should keep their Permanent Voter Card safe. The clean register is due by 15 December.
