ATIKU DEMANDS IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION OF 103M VOTERS’ REGISTER, ALLEGING INEC PORTAL DISCREPANCIES AHEAD OF 2027 POLLS

African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate accuses electoral commission of failing to provide public access to voter records during statutory inspection window

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately publish the full preliminary register of over 103 million voters, raising serious concerns regarding transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a public statement, Atiku accused the commission of failing to make the voters' register available for inspection on its online portal during the announced public scrutiny window, stating that citizens attempting to verify their registration status were met with a blank page.

Atiku cited provisions of the Electoral Act, which mandate the public display of the voters' register both physically at registration areas and on an accessible online portal to allow citizens to challenge false entries and correct omissions. He also highlighted conflicting official communications from the commission regarding whether the mandatory display exercise had occurred prior to or during the scheduled October inspection period.

Warning that restricting access to voter records opens the door to potential manipulation, the former vice president called on international election observers, civil society organizations, and democratic institutions to urge INEC to comply with statutory transparency requirements across all local government areas, wards, and polling units.