INEC shelves voter revalidation until after 2027 election, raising credibility concerns

What just happened

INEC has shelved its nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 general election, catching many off guard just days before the exercise was supposed to begin on April 13.

The decision came out of a meeting on Friday between the commission and Resident Electoral Commissioners. In a statement signed by INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna, the commission said it “resolved to postpone the exercise until after the 2027 general election” following deliberations.

This is the same exercise INEC had been preparing for weeks. A letter dated April 4, signed by Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, had already directed RECs to start sourcing personnel and preparing Voter Enrolment Devices. Now all of that is on hold.

Why it matters

Holding a general election with an unaudited voter register is a red flag for anyone who cares about electoral integrity. The revalidation exercise was supposed to clean up duplicate entries, correct personal data, and remove ineligible records from the register. Pushing it past the election it’s meant to safeguard raises obvious questions.

Opposition parties and civil society groups have already pushed back. The timing looks bad, whether it’s genuinely about preparation or something else entirely. INEC says it “remains committed to the conduct of free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections,” but credibility is easier to claim than to prove when you’re running the biggest election in Africa on a register you just admitted needs cleaning.

What happens next

RECs have been told to stand down all publicity and arrangements for the exercise and await further directives. No new timeline has been given. The 2027 elections are still roughly a year away, which means the register that gets used will be the current one, problems and all.

For voters who moved, changed names, or registered with errors, there’s no clear pathway to fix those records before they cast their ballots. INEC has expressed regret for the inconvenience, but regret doesn’t update a voter register.

Sources: Punch, Guardian Nigeria, NAN, Legit.ng, BusinessDay