Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has risen above 103 million following the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and a final biometric cleanup, the Independent National Electoral Commission has announced.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday at a one-day strategic workshop for editors organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission in Abuja.

According to Amupitan, the three phases of the CVR exercise generated 10,772,421 new registrations, which were subjected to verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System.

He said the commission had completed the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections as well as the final ABIS cleanup, bringing the national voter register to more than 103 million.

“Following the conclusion of our three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which captured over 10.6 million new applicants, and the completion of the public display of the Preliminary Register for claims and objections, our Voter Register Department has completed the final Automated Biometric Identification System cleanup. Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” Amupitan said.

The latest figure represents a significant increase from the over 93 million registered voters recorded before the CVR exercise.

INEC had earlier projected that the register would cross the 100 million mark after the conclusion of the registration exercise.

The commission also announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards will begin on Friday, October 9, 2026.

Amupitan said Phase 1 PVCs had been processed and distributed to all local government centres ahead of the commencement of collection.

He urged the media to sensitise Nigerians on the collection process, including the locations of collection centres, and encourage registered voters to obtain their cards promptly.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the INEC chairman further disclosed that the commission had acquired 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices.

He said the new BVAS machines had undergone software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration as part of measures to prevent accreditation bypass and curb manual manipulation.

Amupitan said the commission had also strengthened its technological and cybersecurity infrastructure to improve the credibility and security of the electoral process.

The 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.

On vote-buying, the INEC chairman said the commission had adopted a firm position against the practice and strengthened its collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice and anti-corruption agencies.

He said joint financial monitoring teams would be deployed to track illegal campaign spending and conduct surveillance at polling units across the country.

Amupitan warned political parties and candidates against attempting to induce voters with cash, stressing that anyone found engaging in vote-buying would face arrest and prosecution under the Electoral Act 2026.

“Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate’s pocket,” he said.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has dismissed allegations that its National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, is working with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to undermine the opposition party and its presidential ticket.

The party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, described the allegation as “malicious lies” and insisted that Dickson had no secret or open arrangement with the APC.

The NDC said it would ordinarily have ignored what it described as rumours and “beer-parlour talk” but decided to respond because repeated unchallenged allegations could eventually be accepted as truth.

“Our National Leader, Distinguished Senator Seriake Dickson, is not a front for the ruling APC or anyone else. He has no secret or open deal whatsoever with the ruinous and diabolical APC regime,” the statement said.

The party argued that Dickson’s political record did not support the allegation, noting that he could have joined the APC but instead chose to remain with the NDC and participate in building the party.

According to the NDC, Dickson’s record during his years in the Senate demonstrated what it described as his “consistent, courageous and principled position” on national issues.

The party further alleged that the accusations were being promoted by political opponents who, it claimed, were concerned about the growing acceptance of the NDC across the country.

The NDC urged its members, supporters and well-wishers to remain focused on the party’s political activities and work towards the success of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and other candidates contesting under the party’s platform.

The statement called on party supporters to remain steadfast, declaring: “Together, we stand. Together, we shall win.”

The NDC also reaffirmed its campaign message that “A New Nigeria is Possible.”

A video circulating on social media has sparked controversy after a man identified as Aminu Warkal, said to be the National Democratic Congress (NDC) State House of Assembly candidate for Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State, was seen displaying what appeared to be a firearm at a campaign rally.

The incident reportedly occurred during a rally held in support of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in Kano over the weekend.

In the video, Warkal, dressed in the red cap associated with the Kwankwasiyya movement, was seen standing on the running board of an SUV while holding what appeared to be a gun in one hand and waving to supporters with the other.

The footage was shared on X on Monday by a user, Emma Ik Umeh, who called on the Nigeria Police Force to investigate the incident.

“Is it legal for NDC/Kwankwasiyya supporter to campaign with a gun and allegedly fire it almost three times into the air?” Umeh wrote, tagging the police and urging the authorities to take action.

The video has since generated reactions online, with questions raised over the presence and alleged display of a firearm at a political gathering.

However, it could not be independently established whether the object displayed in the footage was a functional firearm, nor whether Warkal was authorised to possess or carry one.

The development comes amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political parties and their supporters holding rallies and mobilisation exercises across the country.

Nigeria’s electoral laws place restrictions on the use of force, intimidation and armed groups during political campaigns and rallies.

The Electoral Act also contains provisions prohibiting political parties, candidates and their supporters from employing or organising persons for the display of physical force or coercion in pursuit of political objectives.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the NDC, the candidate or the Nigeria Police Force confirming whether the incident had been reported or whether an investigation had commenced.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 general election.

The judgment followed a suit instituted by Hashim against the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking legal recognition of his emergence from the party’s presidential primary.

Hashim had approached the court after Accord failed to submit his name to INEC, despite his claim that he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate at a primary election held on May 30, 2026.

In the suit, he asked the court to determine whether the party’s failure to forward his name to INEC contravened the Electoral Act 2026, the 1999 Constitution and relevant INEC regulations governing the nomination of candidates.

He also sought an order compelling Accord to recognise him and transmit his name to INEC as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Alternatively, Hashim asked the court to direct the party to conduct a fresh presidential primary in which he would be allowed to participate.

The plaintiff told the court that he was a registered and financial member of Accord and had paid the required ₦50 million nomination fee to contest the presidential primary.

He maintained that he emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of the exercise on May 30, but alleged that the party subsequently refused to submit his name to the electoral commission.

The case was adjourned several times during the proceedings. On July 15, the court further adjourned the matter after Accord and INEC served fresh processes on Hashim’s legal team shortly before the scheduled hearing.

His lawyers subsequently sought time to study and respond to the new filings, prompting the court to fix another date for further proceedings.

The legal dispute followed the public rejection of Hashim’s candidacy by the national leadership of Accord.

In a statement issued on June 3, the party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, said Accord did not conduct any presidential primary and described the exercise that produced Hashim as a candidate as a process organised by his supporters.

The party explained that its planned presidential primary was cancelled because no aspirant purchased the required expression-of-interest and nomination forms within the stipulated period.

Accord further alleged that Hashim’s payments for the forms were made after the deadline and said it had instructed its bank to reverse the payments.

Hashim, however, rejected the party’s position and maintained that he was the legitimate presidential candidate of Accord, leading to the legal action that culminated in the court’s latest ruling.