INEC Refutes Electoral Act Violation Claims Over Voters' Register

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied allegations of violating the Electoral Act 2026 concerning the preliminary voters' register. The Commission stated it complied with legal requirements by displaying the register across wards and local government areas from October 9 to 15, 2026.

An official from INEC's headquarters in Abuja confirmed that the law was not broken. The controversy arose from reports indicating that the detailed preliminary voters' register was not available online during the statutory display period, leading to questions about voter access to their details.

INEC's Lagos office refuted claims of unavailability, asserting that the exercise was conducted across all 245 registration areas in the state. However, the online portal displayed a message indicating that no preliminary registers were available as of October 20.

Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 mandates the display of the voters' register for public scrutiny, raising concerns about the accuracy of INEC's announcement of 103,428,715 registered voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.