INEC Rejects Extension of Voter Registration as Exercise Ends Today, Political Parties Getting Set for Campaigns
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out extending the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, insisting that the nationwide registration officially ends today (Sunday), despite mounting calls from opposition political parties and civil society organisations for more time.
The electoral umpire maintained that the registration exercise must close to enable it to clean and verify the data collected ahead of the 2027 general elections. However, opposition parties and civic groups argued that millions of eligible Nigerians risk being disenfranchised if the registration window is not extended.
In a notice posted on its official X account on Saturday, INEC urged eligible Nigerians yet to register to take advantage of the final hours of the exercise. The commission said all designated registration centres would operate from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today.
“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends Sunday, July 26, 2026,” the commission stated, while reminding prospective voters that registration could be completed online through its CVR portal or physically at INEC offices and designated centres nationwide.
No Extension, Says INEC
INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission had no plans to extend the exercise, explaining that voter registration must end to allow officials begin processing and cleaning the data.
“By midnight on Sunday, voter registration ends. There won’t be any extension. There are so many things that we need to do at the back end. We have to draw a line; otherwise, we won’t be able to produce a clean copy of what has been posted,” Haruna said.
According to him, the commission’s Information Technology Department and Voter Registration Department will immediately commence data verification using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to detect and eliminate multiple registrations before publishing the provisional voters’ register for claims and objections.
Haruna added that the final number of newly registered voters would only be known after biometric verification and the claims and objections process, after which the validated figures would be added to the existing register of about 93 million voters.
INEC Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, also defended the decision, saying it complied with constitutional and legal provisions and was necessary to allow adequate preparations for the 2027 elections. He dismissed claims that the registration portal was overwhelmed, insisting the system was designed to accommodate applicants throughout the exercise.
Nearly Three Million Nigerians Registered
Fresh data released by INEC showed that 2,970,257 eligible Nigerians successfully completed registration during Phase III, Week Nine of the CVR exercise as of July 17, 2026.
Of the total, 970,865 completed online registration while 2,000,092 registered physically across the country. Female voters accounted for 1,561,765 (52.57%), while 1,409,192 (47.43%) were male.
Young Nigerians dominated the exercise, with over 2 million registrants aged between 18 and 34 years.
Kano recorded the highest number of registrations with 234,305, followed by Lagos (140,546), Edo (139,313), Delta (132,330) and Taraba (113,409). Oyo State recorded 88,716 new registrants.
Opposition, CSOs Demand Extension
Despite INEC’s position, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and several civil society organisations urged the commission to reconsider its decision.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, argued that voter registration should remain open to enable more eligible Nigerians participate in the electoral process.
Similarly, Labour Party spokesman Obiora Ifoh described the closure as unnecessary, insisting that a truly continuous voter registration system should allow Nigerians who attain voting age before the elections to register.
“Millions of Nigerians will turn 18 by December. Are they saying those people should not register?” he asked.
Civil society organisations also backed calls for an extension. Women Arise for Change Initiative President, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, said extending the exercise by a few weeks would strengthen democratic participation, while BallotEyes Working Group Chairman, Olasupo Abideen, described the closure as premature.
Executive Director of the Socio-Economic and Civic Rights Advocacy (SERA), Emmanuel Olowu, questioned why INEC ended the exercise nearly six months before the elections when the Electoral Act only requires registration to stop at least 90 days before polling.
APC, Yiaga Africa Back INEC
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and election observer group Yiaga Africa supported INEC’s decision, arguing that the commission requires adequate time to clean the register, remove duplicate registrations, resolve claims and objections, print voter registers and complete other pre-election activities.
Yiaga Africa Executive Director, Samson Itodo, said while some eligible voters may be disappointed, adherence to the electoral timetable remains critical to ensuring a credible and well-organised election. He, however, urged INEC to make voter registration genuinely continuous between election cycles to improve participation in future elections.