The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied allegations that it violated the Electoral Act 2026 by failing to publish the preliminary voters’ register online for public scrutiny within the stipulated seven-day period.
The Commission maintained that it complied with the law by displaying the register across wards and local government areas nationwide.
An INEC official at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, who spoke exclusively to DAILY GAZETTE on Wednesday, dismissed claims of a breach of the law.
“The Commission has not broken the law. We complied with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act by displaying the voters’ register across wards and local government areas in the country,” the official said.
The controversy arose following reports that the detailed preliminary voters’ register was inaccessible on INEC’s online portal during the scheduled display period of October 9 to 15, 2026.
Reports of difficulties accessing the register online triggered concerns over whether eligible voters had adequate opportunities to examine their details and identify possible errors within the period prescribed by law.
There were also questions about access to the register in some parts of Lagos State.
However, INEC’s Lagos office rejected the allegations, insisting that the exercise was conducted across all 245 registration areas in the state.
According to reports, the Commission’s online portal displayed the message: “There are currently no preliminary Registers to display. Please check back later.”
The message was reportedly still visible on October 20, several days after the scheduled period for public scrutiny had ended.
Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 stipulates that, subject to Section 9(6), INEC must, not later than 90 days before a general election, designate a seven-day period during which copies of the voters’ register for each local government area, area council or ward must be displayed or published for public scrutiny at registration areas or on the Commission’s official website or another website established for that purpose.
The reported unavailability of the register online has raised further questions about the accessibility of the detailed records underlying INEC’s announcement that Nigeria had 103,428,715 registered voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lagos State reportedly had approximately 7.49 million registered voters, followed by Kano and Kaduna states.
While INEC insists that it fulfilled its statutory obligations through physical display of the register, concerns over online access have continued to fuel questions about the transparency and accessibility of the voter verification process.
