The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved a nationwide voter revalidation exercise aimed at verifying the authenticity of entries in the national register of voters. The move follows growing concerns over the presence of ghost voters—individuals who are either deceased, underage, or duplicated in the register. INEC did not announce specific dates for the exercise but confirmed it would roll out across all states. The commission described the revalidation as critical to maintaining public trust in the electoral process. No new voter registration will occur during this period, only verification of existing data.
INEC has previously conducted clean-up exercises, including a 2021 audit that removed over two million questionable entries. The commission has not disclosed the technical framework for the upcoming revalidation, including whether biometric verification will be used. Stakeholders in the electoral process, including civil society groups, have called for transparency and inclusivity in the implementation phase. INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu reiterated the commission's commitment to a credible and credible voter register ahead of future elections.
INEC's decision to revalidate voters comes after years of documented irregularities, including the removal of 2.1 million phantom names in 2021. If the same loopholes remain unaddressed, this exercise risks becoming another box-ticking ritual. For Nigerian voters, the real test lies in whether the verified register will be auditable and publicly accessible before the next election. Without independent oversight, the credibility of the process remains questionable.
