2027: CSO Demands Independent Audit of INEC Voters Register, Fears Mass Disenfranchisement

A civil society organisation, Speak Out Africa Initiative (SOAI), has called for an independent and transparent audit of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) voters register ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that irregularities in the registration process could lead to the disenfranchisement of eligible voters.

The organisation said INEC should not be the sole institution responsible for investigating irregularities in the voters register, determining which records should be deleted and certifying the credibility of its own clean-up exercise.

In a press statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, November 11, SOAI acknowledged INEC’s efforts to address irregularities in the Preliminary Register of Voters but insisted that the scale of the identified problems required independent verification.

The group commended the commission for removing 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records of verified deceased voters from the register.

It also noted that INEC had disclosed that 54 personnel across 10 states had been identified for further investigation over alleged involvement in registration irregularities.

However, SOAI maintained that these measures, although important, were insufficient to restore public confidence without an independent assessment of the exercise.

According to the organisation, concerns surrounding the display and online publication of the voters register, alongside the possibility of eligible voters being wrongly removed, make an independent audit imperative before the final register is published on December 15, 2026.

It stressed that external verification would help establish whether the clean-up exercise was accurate, comprehensive and fair, while ensuring that the final register could withstand public scrutiny.

The organisation said the controversy surrounding the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise had raised serious questions about the integrity of Nigeria’s national voters register.

It identified concerns over apparently artificial or AI-generated photographs, duplicate records, unusual registration patterns, questionable entries and deceased persons allegedly remaining on the register as issues requiring urgent attention.

SOAI noted that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, had acknowledged historical integrity challenges affecting the register, including records dating from 2011 to 2023.

While recognising the role of technology in detecting questionable registrations, the organisation cautioned that automated biometric screening should not automatically be interpreted as proof of fraud.

It acknowledged INEC’s explanation that records flagged by its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) require further examination before any final determination can be made.

Nevertheless, SOAI insisted that Nigerians must be able to independently verify that the safeguards are consistently applied and that no eligible voter is denied the constitutional right to vote through erroneous deletion.

The organisation warned that any failure to address the concerns surrounding the voters register could undermine confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It therefore called for an independent, transparent and technically credible audit to guarantee the integrity of the final register and protect the voting rights of eligible Nigerians.