Voter Register Ahead of 2027 Elections … NIMC Act 2026 would transform Nigeria’s identity management Architecture- Amupitan
Oru Leonard
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), have commenced deeper collaboration aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process through a more credible, secure and fraud-resistant voter register ahead of the 2027 General Election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Wednesday at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja while receiving the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team on a courtesy visit.
Prof. Amupitan described the recently enacted NIMC Act 2026 as a landmark legal framework that would transform Nigeria’s identity management architecture and significantly enhance the integrity of the nation’s electoral system.
According to him, the law provides the foundation for a new era of verified digital identity that will curb voter impersonation, identity theft and multiple registrations while strengthening public confidence in elections.
The INEC Chairman likened the signing of the legislation to the birth of a child, saying the occasion marked the formal emergence of NIMC as Nigeria’s sovereign digital identity authority with responsibilities extending beyond identity registration to the broader digital economy, governance and electoral administration.
He noted that identity fraud has remained one of the major challenges confronting election management, expressing optimism that the new legal framework and advanced technology would make such abuses easier to detect and eliminate.
Amupitan commended the National Assembly for enacting the legislation, recalling that he had earlier advocated stronger identity safeguards during engagements with lawmakers.
He revealed that with over 136 million Nigerians already enrolled in the National Identity Database, closer integration between INEC and NIMC would facilitate continuous verification of voter records, eliminate duplicate and underage registrations and improve the credibility of the national voter register.
The INEC Chairman explained that the Commission’s online voter registration platform is now anchored on the National Identification Number (NIN), describing it as a major step toward a seamless Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process.
He also disclosed that under Section 18 of the Electoral Act, eligible voters whose Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been lost, damaged or defaced can obtain replacements, including printable PVCs where requests are made at least 90 days before an election.
Amupitan acknowledged that the current voter register still contains records of deceased persons dating back to 2011 as well as duplicate entries, stressing that collaboration with NIMC would enable INEC to progressively sanitise the register and reduce the enormous costs associated with printing election materials for over 100 million registered voters.
He further highlighted the growing influence of artificial intelligence in election management, emphasizing the need for robust safeguards and operational protocols to protect the integrity of electoral data systems.
The Chairman disclosed that technical teams from both agencies had already commenced discussions on key areas of cooperation, describing the partnership as the foundation of a “digital trust network” capable of strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s identity and electoral systems before the 2027 polls.
Earlier, NIMC Director-General Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote informed the INEC leadership that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the NIMC Act 2026 into law on June 26, 2026, following nearly two decades of legislative reforms.
She explained that the new Act establishes NIMC as the root authority for Nigeria’s Public Key Infrastructure and the custodian of the country’s Digital Public Infrastructure, describing identity as the cornerstone of effective governance and credible elections.
Coker-Odusote assured INEC of NIMC’s full commitment to supporting transparent, credible and technology-driven elections in 2027.
Director of the Strategic Programme Office at NIMC, Dr. Alvan Ikoku, also briefed the INEC management on the expanded responsibilities and statutory powers conferred on the Commission by the new legislation.
The meeting was attended by National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, directors, technical aides and senior management officials from both INEC and NIMC.
