Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Oct. 26 that it was making the preliminary register for the 2027 election available online, giving voters another way to inspect the roll.
INEC said public concern about online access prompted the added step. The commission said the digital list matches the one displayed at registration areas nationwide from Oct. 9 to 15, when registered voters could review their entries and submit claims or objections.
The commission’s election calendar schedules the presidential and National Assembly contests for Jan. 16, 2027, putting the 90-day date at Oct. 18. It lists Feb. 6, 2027, for governorship and state assembly elections.
Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 sets an early scheduling limit for the review: INEC must designate a one-week inspection period at least 90 days ahead of a general election. The statute also requires copies to be available at registration areas and online.
Section 19(2) requires INEC to accept and consider objections and complaints within 14 days after displaying the register. Under Section 19(3), any person may object during the display period to the inclusion of someone unqualified or deceased, and a registered voter may claim an omitted name.
Premium Times reported that a reporter checking INEC’s portal on Oct. 21 found no preliminary register listed, six days after the physical review ended. That finding follows earlier EconoTimes coverage of questions about access to the online roll, including a report that the portal was empty during the review period.
Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC’s national commissioner and chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, described the website as another route for voters to examine the register. He said the measure was intended to “facilitate wider public access to the register.”
INEC said it was processing submissions before certifying and publishing the final register on Dec. 15, ahead of the Jan. 16 presidential and National Assembly elections.
