The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will leverage the National Identification Number (NIN) to sanitise Nigeria’s voter register ahead of the 2027 general election, with the aim of eliminating duplicate and underage registrations while enhancing the credibility of the electoral process.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker Odusote, and her management team during a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters.
Amupitan said the recently enacted National Identity Management Commission Act, 2026, provides the legal and technological framework for closer collaboration between INEC and NIMC, describing the legislation as a major milestone in Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
He said the new law expands NIMC’s role beyond identity registration, positioning it as a key institution supporting governance, commerce, land administration and the country’s electoral system.
The INEC chairman noted that identity related fraud remains one of the major challenges confronting election management in Nigeria, stressing that stronger identity verification is essential to improving public confidence in elections.
“Voter identity can easily be stolen, easily be impersonated, easily be duplicated,” he said, expressing confidence that the new legal framework and technology would make such irregularities easier to detect and eliminate.
Amupitan commended the National Assembly for enacting legislation that lays the foundation for a more credible electoral process.
According to him, with more than 136 million Nigerians already enrolled in the national identity database, integration between INEC and NIMC will enable continuous verification of voter records, detect multiple registrations and remove duplicate and underage entries from the register.
He explained that INEC’s newly introduced online voter registration platform has been built around the National Identification Number as its primary verification tool, a development expected to strengthen the Continuous Voter Registration process.
The chairman also revealed that the commission’s voter register still contains records of deceased Nigerians, some dating back to 2011, as well as duplicate entries, making collaboration with NIMC critical to sanitising the database.
He said a more accurate voter register would not only improve electoral credibility but also reduce election costs by limiting the need to print excess electoral materials.
Amupitan further disclosed that, in line with Section 18 of the Electoral Act, eligible voters whose Permanent Voter Cards have been lost, defaced or destroyed can apply for replacements, including printable PVCs for requests submitted at least 90 days before an election.
He also cautioned that while artificial intelligence presents significant opportunities for election management, its deployment must be guided by appropriate safeguards to protect the integrity of electoral data.
Earlier, the Director General of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker Odusote, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission Act, 2026 into law on June 26, 2026, after nearly two decades of legislative efforts.
She said the new law repositions NIMC as Nigeria’s root authority for Public Key Infrastructure, making it the nation’s digital trust anchor and custodian of its digital public infrastructure.
According to her, identity remains the foundation of effective governance, national planning and credible elections, assuring INEC of the commission’s full support in preparations for the 2027 general election.
Also speaking, the Director of NIMC’s Strategic Programme Office, Dr Alvan Ikoku, briefed the INEC management on the expanded responsibilities and powers conferred on the commission under the new Act.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that officials of both commissions expressed confidence that the partnership would strengthen identity verification, improve the accuracy of the voter register and enhance public trust in the transparency and integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
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