The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed its planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 general election.
In a statement issued on Friday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the decision followed a meeting between the commission and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
“Following deliberations, the commission resolved to postpone the exercise until after the 2027 General Election,” the statement read.
The nationwide exercise was initially scheduled to commence on April 13 as part of preparations for the 2027 elections. However, on April 5, the commission directed RECs to suspend all publicity and arrangements for the exercise pending further directives.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) had on Wednesday asked the INEC to confirm a leaked memo revealing a possible nationwide voter revalidation exercise.
According to a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party claimed it had received reports of an internal memo linked to INEC and called for immediate clarification.
The statement read, “We call on INEC to immediately confirm to Nigerians whether this memo is genuine, and whether it reflects an official plan of the Commission.”
The ADC noted that if such a plan exists, its timing may affect voter participation.
It said asking already registered voters to revalidate their details close to an election period could create challenges for some citizens.
“Coming less than ten months to a general election, such an exercise risks disenfranchising millions of Nigerians.”
The party noted that some voters may not be able to travel to designated centres within a short time frame, insisting that this could limit participation and affect public confidence in the process.
The ADC expressed concern that the report emerged through a leaked memo rather than an official announcement.
The statement maintained, “For an exercise of this magnitude, Nigerians deserve transparency, not ambiguity.”
The ADC urged INEC to provide clear information and avoid steps that may create confusion for voters.
The electoral body had announced a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) workshop ahead of the Nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise in a post on its X handle.
According to the INEC, “the ToT is to prepare Trainers for the cascade training of registration officials ahead of the Voter Revalidation Exercise scheduled to hold at the 774 INEC Local Government Offices, the 8,809 Registration Areas (RAs) and the 176,846 Polling Units (PUs) at different phases across the nation.”
Meanwhile, Haruna explained that the revalidation exercise is intended to strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s voter register by verifying and updating existing records.
According to him, the process is designed to “verify and review existing voter records, ensure the accuracy of personal data, eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries, and strengthen the overall integrity of the voter register.”
He added that it would also allow registered voters to confirm and correct their personal details where necessary.
Haruna reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections.
