October 26, (THEWILL) – The silence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in addressing public concerns arising from its failure to publish the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 General Election, is not golden at all. It is not about the violation of relevant sections of the Electoral Act 2026, but the lack of response to a default in the electoral process, especially so during electioneering when such an omission can become fodder for politicking, casting doubts on the Commission’s commitment to due process and transparency.
According to Section 19 of the Nigerian Electoral Act 2026, which speaks to the display of copies of the voters’ list, the Commission shall, not later than 90 days to a general election, appoint a period of seven days during which a copy of the voters’ register for each Local Government, Area Council or Ward shall be displayed or published for public scrutiny at every registration area and on its official website or any website established by the Commission for that purpose.
Apart from its mandatory nature, the law also say that the display is also to enable the Commission to accept and consider objections and complaints in relation to the names omitted or included in the voters’ register or in relation to any necessary correction, within 14 days after displaying the voters’ register in accordance with this section. Eligible voters making the objections and complaints will have to follow a process that may consume time if the chain of complainants stretches from the state to the local government areas and wards, involving the electoral officer in charge of LGAs and then the Resident Electoral Commissioners.
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Then this: “An official or staff of the Commission, who fails to display or publish the voters’ register as provided under subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both.”
However, the Commission has reportedly said that it has conducted the claims and objections exercise across the country through physical visits to designated locations. Then why violate a law that mandates it to do the needful? Why leave stakeholders and the citizenry to attribute possible wrong motives to its delayed action and then keep silent when public concerns are being raised daily?
Only recently, the National Chairman Joash Amupitan announced that the official figure of registered voters stands at exactly 103,428,715. According to him, the new figure followed the completion of a three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and a final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup, which added over 10.6 million new applicants to the existing database. Impressive work by the Commission, no doubt. Still, giving the time left before the conduct of the general election, this crucial part of publishing the register is not only about keeping with or violating the law, but also with inspiring confidence in the electorate and Nigerians generally. The populace’s zeal for the upcoming polls needs to be matched with due process and transparency every inch of the way. The Commission should publish the register without delay.
