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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has risen above 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by INEC in collaboration with Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Abuja.
The workshop, held at BON Hotel Octagon, Jahi District, had the theme, “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions.”
Amupitan said the Commission’s three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise attracted more than 10.6 million new applicants, while the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections had been completed.
He also disclosed that INEC had completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup of the voters’ register.
The INEC chairman announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, urging eligible citizens to participate in the exercise.
He said INEC was committed to ensuring a transparent, technology-driven and credible electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections, while continuously improving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Amupitan, however, identified public trust as the ultimate determinant of electoral credibility, stressing that operational efficiency by INEC alone could not guarantee democratic stability.
“The ultimate arbiter of electoral integrity is public trust,” he said.
He called for stronger collaboration between INEC, media organisations, civil society groups and other stakeholders, assuring that the Commission would listen to editorial concerns, address operational challenges and provide timely information to prevent misinformation from filling communication gaps.
The chairman urged newsrooms to establish digital fact-verification desks and pledged to provide editors with direct access to verify field incidents, logistical developments and security reports in real time.
He also proposed a sustained editorial feedback mechanism between INEC and the NGE to review operational progress and resolve emerging challenges throughout the 2027 election cycle.
NGE President, Eze Anaba, described the workshop as timely, saying elections were not merely about casting ballots but also about citizens having confidence that their votes would count and electoral institutions would act fairly and professionally.
He urged editors to uphold accuracy, fairness, balance and public interest in electoral reporting while seeking stronger access to credible and timely information from INEC.
Director of Voter Education and Publicity Department, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, identified misinformation and disinformation as major factors contributing to declining citizen participation.
She urged media organisations to support the Commission by ensuring that accurate and timely information reached citizens, particularly ahead of the commencement of PVC collection.
DAI Team Leader, Rudolf Elbling, said credible elections depended on effective electoral administration as well as professional, ethical and fact-based journalism.
He identified electoral integrity, election technology, security of journalists and voters, and information disorder as major challenges ahead of 2027.
Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Dr Akin Akingbulu, said Nigeria was at a critical point in its democratic journey as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
Akingbulu described editors as stewards of the electoral information ecosystem, urging them to rigorously verify information, beware of deepfakes and avoid publishing unofficial results.
“Verification is a two-way street. Verify before you amplify,” he said.
Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), Mr Lanre Arogundade, said electoral contestation went beyond campaigns and voting to include political interests, information battles and citizens’ perceptions of electoral actors.
He warned that the political economy of the media could affect the ability of newsrooms to report elections impartially.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the Commission had conducted several elections under its current leadership, including the Anambra governorship election, FCT Area Council elections, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and legislative bye-elections.
He added that INEC had monitored the primaries of the country’s 22 political parties for the 2027 elections, including nominations arising from the creation of new court-ordered constituencies.
Haruna described the Osun governorship election as widely adjudged the most successful conducted so far by the Commission.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the workshop had three broad objectives: rebuilding institutional trust through open dialogue, combating information disorder through stronger fact verification, and promoting shared democratic responsibility among the media, civil society and electoral institutions.
He said INEC wanted to establish seamless 24-hour fact-verification channels between newsrooms and the Commission so that speed would not come at the expense of accuracy.
Participants subsequently moved into technical sessions examining electoral reporting, democratic participation, electoral technology, enforcement of electoral laws, citizenship, inclusive governance, electoral safety, prosecution of electoral offences and the fight against misinformation.
