INEC urged to open up voter register ahead of 2027 elections
- A Lagos law firm has asked INEC to make voter records and party membership lists open to public scrutiny before 2027.
- Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara told NYSC members in Port Harcourt to help deliver a credible 2027 election.
- Rivers took in 4,485 corps members, its largest batch yet, and the camp is short of space.
A law firm has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make its voter records and party membership lists easier for ordinary Nigerians to check before the 2027 general elections.
The Law Corridor, an Abuja-based firm, made the call on Thursday at a media parley marking its 2026 Founders' Day, according to Tribune. Its managing partner, Mr Henry Kelechukwu Eniotu, said accurate voter records, lawful procedures and real public scrutiny are the foundations of a credible election.
He pointed to two parts of the Electoral Act 2026. Section 19 covers displaying or publishing the voters' register. Section 77 covers political parties' membership registers, which must reach INEC before primaries, congresses and conventions.
The firm wants INEC to publish clear timelines, give voters easy ways to inspect their records, and set up proper channels for claims, objections and corrections. It also asked the commission to explain how it will check that parties keep accurate membership lists, while protecting personal information.
Why this matters to voters
Voter registration numbers are often disputed in Nigeria, and confusion over them can feed suspicion before elections. The firm said INEC should separate applications received, completed registrations and the final number of eligible voters, and explain promptly whenever figures change or credible discrepancies appear.
"Public confidence grows when electoral procedures and information can withstand scrutiny," Eniotu said.
He also urged political parties to keep accurate membership records and meet their legal duties.
On a separate matter, the firm asked the National Assembly to scrap the requirement for the Attorney-General's consent before garnishee proceedings against public funds under Section 84 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act. It argued that Nigerians who win court judgments against government institutions should not wait years for payment, with inflation eating into what they are owed.
The firm also called for attempted suicide to be decriminalised under Section 327 of the Criminal Code and Section 231 of the Penal Code, saying survivors need medical care and support, not prosecution.
Fubara turns to corps members
In Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara asked National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to help deliver a credible 2027 election and to serve the state selflessly.
Fubara spoke on Friday at the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Nonwa-Gbam, Tai Local Government Area, while opening the 2026 Batch C Stream II orientation course. He was represented by Dr Promise Oguzie, Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Bureau of the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, according to ThisDay.
"Repay the trust reposed in you by contributing your quota meaningfully to the success of the 2027 general election and the overall development of our nation," the governor said.
The state NYSC coordinator, Mr Moses Oleghe, said Rivers received 4,485 corps members, the largest number in its history, which he linked to improved welfare for serving youths. He said accommodation is overstretched and asked the state to speed up work on approved 1,000-capacity hostels for male and female corps members.
Justice Victor Ugorji, representing the state Chief Judge, administered the oath to the corps members.
What happens next
INEC has not publicly responded to the law firm's requests. The Rivers government has not given a date for completing the new hostels.
