RismadarVoice Reporters
November 11, 2026
Former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye, has called for a fresh biometric voters’ registration exercise after the 2027 general elections, citing longstanding concerns about the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral database.
Okoye maintained that INEC would have to proceed with the existing register for the forthcoming elections because there was insufficient time to conduct an entirely new registration exercise.
Speaking during an interview reportedly aired on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, he described the current database as opaque and questioned its reliability.
According to him, a comprehensive biometric registration exercise after the elections would help establish a more accurate and credible record of eligible Nigerian voters.
His concerns follow revelations of irregularities in the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
On November 9, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, announced that the commission had identified and excluded 1,608,660 invalid registrations.
The commission also reported removing 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons.
Amupitan said the irregularities included multiple registrations, manipulated photographs and suspicious registration patterns.
He disclosed that 54 registration officials across 10 states had been identified for administrative investigation and possible prosecution over alleged violations of registration procedures.
According to INEC, its Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged more than 1.5 million records for examination, although the commission emphasised that automated flags did not automatically establish invalidity.
Further reviews following public complaints resulted in the rejection of additional questionable entries, while thousands of registrations were confirmed valid and retained.
INEC acknowledged that some irregularities originated from earlier registration exercises dating back to 2011, meaning the latest clean-up would not resolve every historical problem.
The commission had displayed its preliminary register between October 9 and 15 before making it available online for wider public scrutiny.
It has scheduled December 15, 2026, for publication of the final voters’ register ahead of the general elections.
INEC has also maintained that biometric accreditation and additional verification measures will remain important safeguards against electoral irregularities.
Okoye’s proposed nationwide registration exercise would therefore represent a longer-term reform beyond the immediate preparations for the 2027 polls.
The debate highlights continuing concerns about the accuracy of Nigeria’s electoral records and the need to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
