INEC’s Voter Revalidation Plan Sparks Concerns Over Timing

An open letter addressed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over the timing of its proposed voter revalidation exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The letter, written by political activist and public affairs analyst, Chris Nwosu, warned that the exercise could potentially disenfranchise some voters, warning that the timeline may not allow adequate participation by eligible voters.

Nwosu, while acknowledging the importance of maintaining an accurate voter register, argued that the process should be deferred until after the 2027 elections to avoid excluding millions of Nigerians from exercising their civic rights.

READ ALSO: INEC Begins Voter Register Revalidation April 13

TVC News Online reports that INEC on Friday announced that it would commence a nationwide revalidation of the voter register as part of efforts to strengthen the credibility of the nation’s electoral system.

He said, “The reasoning behind my position is legion but primarily has to do with the lackadaisical attitude or disposition of Nigerians towards similar exercises in the past. Nigerians are not known to be quick in responding to deadlines, even in matters of data building not related to elections. A resort to history would affirm that there has never been one such exercise in recent history where the initially set deadline was not extended, sometimes more than once, due largely to poor response.

“The above being the case, it should be beyond argument that there is no way your Commission can get even a bulk of Nigerians whose names are on your voter register to come forward and be revalidated in time to have their cards ready for collection before the January 16 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Going by past experiences, to even get those whose cards may be ready before then to come and collect them would require time and extraordinary effort on the part of your Commission. And you can be certain that many would not have collected them before then.”

The public affairs analyst maintained that conducting the exercise after the 2027 polls would be best to avoid disenfranchising even one voter.

He said, “This is not a false alarm. The exercise can indeed proceed, in so far as any voter with a valid voter card (who has not revalidated but whose card passes the accreditation test) will be allowed to vote in 2027. Otherwise, the revalidation exercise should wait until after the 2027 general elections.”