The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced on Friday that it has recorded more than 4,800 claims and roughly 600 objections about the preliminary voter register, and that all identified irregularities will be resolved before the final register is certified on 15 December 2026.
Key details include: the claim count exceeds 4,800, objections total about 600, the register currently lists over 103 million registered citizens, and the final certification deadline is set for 15 December 2026. INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan SAN told the visiting ECOWAS Pre‑Election Fact‑Finding Mission that the commission is committed to a "properly cleaned up" register. He added, "The mistakes of the past cannot be allowed to repeat themselves.".
Amupitan explained that the majority of the submissions were minor corrections submitted at registration centres where the preliminary register was displayed on Thursday. The objections arrived through electoral officers and Resident Electoral Commissioners across the wards, and the online display of the register has corroborated many of the earlier complaints.
According to the commission, the preliminary register now reflects more than 103 million Nigerians, a figure the chairman described as "huge". He assured that the discrepancies will be addressed so the final list is accurate.
The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise has completed three phases, and the physical display of the preliminary register has just ended nationwide. The register is also accessible on the online portal display.inecnigeria.org for public scrutiny, claims and objections.
Amupitan reiterated the election timetable: the Presidential and National Assembly elections are slated for Saturday, 16 January 2027, while the Governorship and State House of Assembly polls are scheduled for Saturday, 6 February 2027.
To meet the schedule, INEC will deploy staff and technology across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, covering 774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 Registration Areas (wards) and 176,846 polling units.
The commission has achieved nine of the fourteen major milestones outlined in its Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities. It has also moved away from "administrative assumptions" by conducting zonal readiness assessment tours in the South‑West (Lagos), North‑West (Kaduna), South‑East (Enugu), North‑East (Gombe) and is heading to Port Harcourt for the South‑South, with the North‑Central zone to follow next week.
During the tours, the team identified areas that require higher personnel deployment due to challenging terrain and security concerns.
A nationwide mock accreditation is planned for November to test both voter accreditation and result transmission simultaneously, aiming to avoid the glitches experienced in the 2023 elections.
On the technology front, INEC will use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for dual biometric verification—fingerprint and facial recognition. A new electronic verification platform, eEC8A, will feed results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), with a safeguard that authenticates results at the polling unit before they are uploaded.
Regarding staff welfare, the commission secured approval for a Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure that removes staff from the regular civil service pay scale and obtained a 150 percent increase in state operational overheads.
Security cooperation involves the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Armed Forces through the Inter‑Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). Early risk‑mapping tools will protect polling units, ad‑hoc staff—including NYSC members—and ensure access for all voters, including persons with disabilities.
Plans are also being finalised to accommodate internally displaced persons, ensuring their inclusion in the voting process.
Amupitan, who has been INEC chairman for a year since his swearing‑in on 23 October 2022, noted that the commission has overseen four off‑cycle elections and 16 by‑elections, providing valuable testing opportunities for its systems and personnel.
Addressing the ECOWAS delegation, he welcomed both long‑term and short‑term ECOWAS election observation missions, stating, "INEC has no candidate and no political party. Our sole allegiance is to the rule of law, the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate, and the democratic progress of our nation."