2027: ‘There’s Nothing We Can Do’ — INEC Rules Out Extension of Voter Registration

INEC ruled out extending voter registration, saying preparations for the 2027 voters’ register must commence immediately.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any further extension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, insisting that the process, which ended on July 26, 2026, will not be reopened.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Wilfred Ifogah, disclosed this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He explained that extending the exercise again would disrupt the commission’s timetable for preparing the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general election.

According to Ifogah, INEC requires at least 75 days after the close of registration to process, clean and prepare the register before it can be displayed for public scrutiny.

“There’s just nothing we could do. From our timetable and activities, we need about 75 days plus to get these registers prepared right from when we stopped the registration,” he said.

He noted that the registration exercise did not begin this year but started on August 18, 2025, with online pre-registration, while physical registration commenced on August 25, 2025.

Ifogah said the commission had conducted the exercise for about 340 days, with periodic suspensions to allow for the display of the register for claims and objections.

He explained that the final phase of the exercise began in April 2026 and was originally scheduled to end on July 10 before being extended by two weeks following public appeals.

The INEC spokesman added that the extension was accompanied by improvements to the commission’s online registration portal, enabling first-time applicants to complete more of the registration process electronically.

“So as it is, there will be no extension because in August, the display of this register will commence so that the public can actually scrutinise what we have done thereafter,” he said.

The commission maintained that adhering to its electoral timetable is essential to ensuring a credible election process, stressing that further delays would affect subsequent activities leading to the 2027 polls.

INEC urged Nigerians who successfully registered to participate in the upcoming register display exercise and verify their details before the final register is certified for use during the general election.