INEC Updates Voter Register with NIN for 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has started using National Identification Numbers (NIN) to check, verify, and clean up the national voter register. This move aims to make the register stronger before the 2027 general elections.

The acting Chairman of INEC, Rhoda Gumus, shared this news on Tuesday when she welcomed the African Union (AU) Pre-Election Needs Assessment Mission at INEC’s office in Abuja.

Mrs Gumus, who is also a national commissioner, mentioned that INEC is getting ready to support voting for a growing number of voters, which is nearing 100 million, across 176,846 polling units.

“Through our strategic collaboration with the NIMC and the use of our continuous voter registration portal, we have integrated NIN to check, verify, and clean our national voter register.

“This is to ensure that Africa’s largest democratic identity roll enters the 2027 polls with unassailable integrity,” she said.

Mrs Gumus assured everyone that INEC is committed to being neutral, independent, and professional. This commitment is under the leadership of Joash Amupitan, who is currently on an international duty.

“Under our watch, every administrative decision will strictly follow the law. Every technical deployment will promote transparency, and the outcome of the 2027 general election will reflect the true will of Nigerian voters,” she said.

On INEC's readiness for the elections, Mrs Gumus said the commission has treated recent elections, including those in Anambra, FCT, Ekiti, and Osun, as a key test for reforms under the new Electoral Act 2026.

She pointed out that in Osun, INEC achieved over 94 percent early morning opening rates, good performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), smooth result viewing on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, and strong security management.

Mrs Gumus recognized the difficulties in technology, logistics, and politics when running elections in a large country.

She described electoral integrity as a task that requires many players and added that international technical support is important for fixing operational gaps, as highlighted by the AU mission.

Mrs Gumus listed areas where help from the AU would be useful, such as digital training for election staff. Other areas include tackling election-related misinformation and deepfakes, improving the Election Monitoring and Support Centre, and enhancing inclusivity and gender frameworks.

She called the AU mission's visit to Nigeria a significant moment in the country's democratic path. This visit shows a shared commitment to principles that support good governance and credible elections across Africa.

Earlier, Demeke Mekonnen, the leader of the AU delegation and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, said the mission was in Nigeria to speak with key groups about election readiness.

Mr Mekonnen noted that the mission would look into important areas like the readiness of the voter register, technology use such as BVAS and IReV, logistics, timely funding, inclusion of women and youth, and security coordination.

Other areas include ways to resolve disputes to ensure a fair and transparent election process.

He stressed that a credible and transparent process is needed, along with a fair environment for all parties. He described inclusivity as a standard for elections.

“We are here to check if INEC's technology applications have been thoroughly tested and are ready. We want to learn from past elections, look at logistical and operational issues, and see how the commission is handling them.

“We also want to know if INEC has received enough and timely funding through parliament for the election process. This is very important for ensuring credibility, fairness, and transparency. Having the right resources on time is crucial,” he added.