The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it will launch a nationwide voter revalidation exercise starting April 13, 2026.
The move aims to update the voter register ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a letter signed by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, secretary to the commission, all resident electoral commissioners (RECs) were instructed to start preparations for the exercise, including sourcing personnel and readying INEC voter enrolment devices (IVED).
The exercise is scheduled in phases:
LGA level: April 13 – May 2
Registration area (RA) level: May 5 – May 11
Polling units (PUs): May 13 – May 19
Second phase at LGA level: May 20 – May 29
Ahead of the rollout, INEC on March 30 conducted a training-of-trainers (ToT) workshop at The Electoral Institute (TEI) to equip officials for the exercise.
Kunle Ajayi, chairman of the institute’s board, stressed the importance of the initiative, saying, “A credible election starts with a credible voter register.”
He added, “It is critical to ensure the integrity of the register ahead of the 2027 general election,” and encouraged participants, drawn from TEI master trainers and staff of the voter registry and ICT departments, to stay committed: “The success of the revalidation exercise rests on their shoulders.”
INEC chairman Joash Amupitan explained in February that the revalidation is necessary to address ongoing issues in the national voters’ register, such as duplicate registrations, underage voters, registration of non-citizens, inclusion of deceased persons, and incomplete or inaccurate records.
He said these issues continue to undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
“As of the 2023 general election, the register stood at 93,469,008 voters. However, these anomalies continue to generate legitimate concerns,” Amupitan said.
“A credible register remains the bedrock of free, fair and transparent elections. No electoral process can command public confidence without trust in the integrity of its voters’ register.”