INEC Links NIN To Voter Register, Targets Cleaner Roll Ahead Of 2027 Polls
By MELVIN KOFFA
NIN Integration Begins
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has integrated National Identification Numbers (NIN) into its voter-registration processes as part of efforts to audit, verify and clean the national voter register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The acting Chairman of INEC, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, disclosed this on Tuesday when she received members of the African Union (AU) Pre-Election Needs Assessment Mission at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Gumus said the exercise was designed to strengthen the integrity of the register as the number of registered voters moves towards the 100 million mark.
Register Covers 176,846 Polling Units
According to the acting chairman, INEC is preparing to accredit and facilitate voting for a rapidly growing voter population spread across 176,846 polling units.
She said the commission was working with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) while also using its continuous voter registration portal to improve the accuracy of the register.
“Through our strategic collaboration with the NIMC and the implementation of our continuous voter registration portal, we have systematically integrated NIN to audit, verify, and clean our national voter register,” Gumus said.
She added that the objective was to ensure that the voter register enters the 2027 elections with a high level of integrity.
INEC Reaffirms Neutrality
Gumus also reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to neutrality, independence and professionalism in preparing for the elections.
She said every administrative decision would comply with the law, while the commission’s technical systems would promote transparency.
“Under our watch, every administrative decision will strictly follow the law, every technical deployment will serve transparency and the outcome of the 2027 general election will reflect nothing, but sovereign will of Nigerian electorate,” she said.
Off-Cycle Elections as Testing Ground
The acting chairman said INEC had used recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, the Federal Capital Territory, Ekiti and Osun as testing grounds for electoral reforms under the new legal framework provided by the Electoral Act 2026.
She cited the Osun election as an example, saying the commission recorded more than 94 per cent early-morning logistical opening rates.
Gumus also reported what she described as effective performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), smooth result viewing on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and disciplined security management.
However, she acknowledged that conducting elections across Nigeria continued to present technological, logistical and political challenges.
AU Seeks Stronger Election Preparedness
Gumus described electoral integrity as a multi-stakeholder responsibility and said international technical support remained important in addressing operational gaps.
She identified areas where AU support could assist the commission, including digital training for ad hoc election personnel, efforts to counter election-related disinformation and deepfakes, and strengthening the Election Monitoring and Support Centre.
She also called for deeper inclusivity and stronger gender-mainstreaming frameworks.
Mission to Assess Readiness
Earlier, the leader of the AU delegation, Demeke Mekonnen, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, said the mission was in Nigeria to engage key stakeholders and assess the country’s overall preparedness for the 2027 elections.
Mekonnen said the assessment would cover voter-register readiness, electoral technologies such as BVAS and IReV, logistics, timely release of funds, gender and youth inclusion, security coordination and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
He stressed the importance of a credible and transparent process, a fair electoral environment and inclusion of relevant stakeholders.
“We are here to also find out if INEC technology applications were fully tested and ready, lessons learnt from the previous elections, logistical and operational challenges and how the commission was addressing them,” he said.
He added that the mission would also examine whether INEC had received adequate and timely funding for the electoral process.
