INEC to put voters' register online after outcry over empty portal
- INEC says the preliminary voters' register was displayed at wards from October 9 to 15 but not posted online.
- After complaints from Nigerians and Atiku Abubakar, the commission says it will now upload the register to its website.
- The final register for the 2027 general election is due on December 15, 2026.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will now put the preliminary voters' register online, after Nigerians and political leaders complained they could not find it on the commission's website.
INEC had earlier insisted the register was published at ward level. Its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, told Punch that the register "has been published, but in the wards. It just wasn't published on our website."
In a statement on Monday, Haruna said the commission had taken note of the concerns and would upload the same register to https://display.inecnigeria.org. He said this is meant to add to the physical display and give more people access.
Why it matters
The register is the list that decides who can vote in 2027. Being able to check it lets a voter confirm their name and details are correct, and lets the public flag names that look wrong or missing before the list is locked.
INEC said it displayed the register at registration areas nationwide from October 9 to 15, 2026, as required by Section 19 of the Electoral Act 2026. The law requires the register to be available both at registration areas and on the commission's website for seven days.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had asked INEC to publish the register immediately. In a statement on Thursday, he said Nigerians went to the portal to check their names and found an empty page, adding that a figure announced by the commission cannot answer a voter's objection. He warned that the delay could weaken confidence in the election process.
INEC has put the number of registered voters at more than 103 million.
What happens next
The commission says it is still working through claims and objections from the display period. It plans to certify and publish the final voters' register on December 15, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general election.
For now, voters who want to check their details can watch for the register on the INEC display portal, and can also ask at their ward or registration area.
