2027: Nigeria Now Has Over 103 Million Registered Voters – INEC

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has confirmed that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has risen to over 103 million.

Amupitan gave the confirmation on Monday at a One-Day Strategic Workshop for Editors, organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission in Abuja.

He said the new figure was reached after the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise and final biometric cleanup, Naija News reports.

The INEC Chairman said the three phases of the CVR exercise produced 10,772,421 new registrations, subject to verification by the Automated Biometric Identification System.

“Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which captured over 10.6 million new applicants, and the completion of the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) cleanup. Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” he declared.

The INEC chairman further reiterated that the nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards would commence on Friday, October 9, 2026.

He said the commission had completed the processing and distribution of Phase 1 PVCs to all local government centres ahead of the commencement of collection.

Amupitan also disclosed that INEC had acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He added that the BVAS devices have undergone software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration to prevent accreditation bypass and eliminate manual manipulation.

According to him, the technological upgrades formed part of the commission’s efforts to strengthen the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the January 16, 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections and the February 6, 2027 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls.

“We have instituted hardware, software, and cybersecurity enhancements across our technological architecture. We have acquired 57,000 new BVAS for optimal performance.

“The devices have undergone extensive software hardening, battery optimisation, and biometric calibration to prevent accreditation bypass and eliminate manual manipulation,” the INEC Chairman stated.

He emphasized the readiness of INEC in ensuring the votes of the people count. Amupitan warned against any attempt by political parties and candidates or politicians to trade cash for votes, noting that any party or candidate found in such acts will “face immediate arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.”

“Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” he added.