INEC Ends Voter Registration Today Despite Opposition’s Push for Extension

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will end today, July 26, despite mounting calls from opposition political parties and civil society organisations for an extension ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The commission reaffirmed its position in a notice posted on its official X account, urging eligible Nigerians who are yet to register to complete the process before the deadline.

“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration exercise ends Sunday, 26 July 2026,” INEC stated.

INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna said there would be no extension, explaining that the commission must begin cleaning and verifying the data collected before compiling the final voters’ register.

According to him, the commission’s Information Technology Department will immediately commence biometric verification to identify and remove multiple registrations before publishing the provisional register for claims and objections.

Haruna noted that the final number of newly registered voters would only be known after the verification exercise.

The commission also disclosed that it had registered 2,970,257 eligible Nigerians as of July 17, with 970,865 completing online registration and 2,000,092 captured physically.

Women accounted for 1,561,765 registrations, while 1,409,192 men registered during the exercise. Young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 34 represented over 67 per cent of all new registrants.

Kano recorded the highest number of registrations with 234,305, followed by Lagos, Edo, Delta and Taraba.

Despite the figures, opposition parties criticised the decision to end the exercise.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP) and factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) argued that millions of eligible Nigerians could be excluded from participating in the 2027 elections if the registration window is not extended.

Civil society organisations, including Women Arise for Change Initiative and the BallotEyes Working Group, also urged INEC to keep the registration portal open for several more weeks to deepen democratic participation.

However, Yiaga Africa defended the commission’s decision, saying the closure complies with the Electoral Act and allows adequate time for voter register verification and election preparations.

INEC maintained that ending the exercise now is necessary to ensure a credible voters’ register and smooth preparations for the 2027 general elections.