INEC integrates NIN to clean voter register ahead of 2027 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has integrated the National Identification Number (NIN) into its voter registration process to audit, verify and clean the national voter register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, who was representing the chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday while receiving members of the African Union (AU) Pre-Election Needs Assessment Mission at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

She said the Commission was preparing to accredit and facilitate voting for a voter population rapidly approaching 100 million across 176,846 polling units, with recent off-cycle elections providing an important test of electoral reforms under the Electoral Act 2026.

What INEC is saying

Gumus said INEC had integrated NIN through its collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the continuous voter registration portal.

• “Through our strategic collaboration with the NIMC and the implementation of our continuous voter registration portal, we have systematically integrated NIN to audit, verify, and clean our national voter register.
• “This is to ensure that Africa’s largest democratic identity roll enters the 2027 polls with unassailable integrity,” she said.

She reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to neutrality, independence and professionalism under its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who is currently on an international assignment.

Gumus said administrative decisions would follow the law, while technical deployments would serve transparency and ensure that the outcome of the elections reflected the will of Nigerian voters.

Recent elections test electoral reforms

Gumus said INEC had treated recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, the Federal Capital Territory, Ekiti and Osun as crucial proving grounds for reforms under the Electoral Act 2026.

• She said the Osun election recorded more than 94% early-morning logistical opening rates, alongside optimal performance by the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), seamless result viewing on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal and disciplined security management.
• However, she acknowledged the technological, logistical, and political challenges involved in conducting elections across the country.
• Gumus described electoral integrity as a multi-stakeholder responsibility and said international technical support remained vital to bridging operational gaps.

She identified digital training for ad hoc election personnel, countering election-related disinformation and deepfakes, strengthening the Election Monitoring and Support Centre, and deepening inclusivity and gender-mainstreaming frameworks as areas where AU support would be valuable.

Get up to speed

INEC’s latest move comes as the Commission continues efforts to strengthen the accuracy of the voter register ahead of the 2027 elections.

• In April, Nairametrics reported that INEC postponed its proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 polls, despite describing the exercise as critical to verifying voter records, correcting inaccuracies and eliminating duplicate or ineligible entries.
• In February, Nairametrics also reported that INEC planned to expand technology deployment for the 2027 elections while continuously cleaning and updating the National Register of Voters.

The scale of the electoral operation is significant. INEC plans to deploy more than 1.4 million ad hoc personnel for the 2027 elections, up from about 1.2 million used in 2023.

What you should know

Beyond the voter register, Nigeria’s 2027 elections are also facing emerging risks from artificial intelligence and digital misinformation.

A July report by SBM Intelligence found that 66.5% of Nigerians are extremely or very concerned that AI-generated political misinformation could undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections.

The report said Nigeria’s heavy reliance on social media for news, combined with weak content moderation and low levels of information verification, leaves the electoral environment increasingly vulnerable to AI-generated misinformation.