With 73 days remaining before the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is facing mounting questions over its compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, particularly its handling of the preliminary voters’ register and candidate nominations.
Stakeholders have faulted the commission for allegedly failing to fulfil some statutory obligations while taking political parties and candidates to court over missed deadlines, raising concerns about its neutrality and accountability.
The concerns have emerged as INEC disclosed that it had removed more than 1.27 million invalid records from the national voters’ register after identifying approximately 1.5 million questionable entries.
The controversy centres on two major aspects of the electoral process: the submission of political parties’ membership registers and candidates’ nominations, as well as the publication of the preliminary voters’ register.
Although INEC has defended its position on party membership registers by relying on judicial pronouncements, particularly a September 2026 Supreme Court decision, some stakeholders insist that the commission must demonstrate consistency and transparency in enforcing the law.
The development has also raised questions about the mechanisms available to hold the electoral umpire accountable when it is accused of violating the same legislation it is mandated to enforce.
INEC misses online publication deadline
One of the major allegations against the commission concerns its failure to publish the preliminary voters’ register on its official website within the period stipulated by Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The provision requires INEC to display the preliminary register at registration areas and simultaneously make it available on its website for public inspection.
The law also provides for a seven-day inspection period, which must take place not later than 90 days before an election.
Although the commission conducted the physical display of the register between October 9 and 15, it reportedly failed to publish the document online within the prescribed period.
October 18 was identified as the relevant deadline ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
Stakeholders argue that INEC should explain the delay and clarify the legal basis for its actions, given that the law expressly requires both physical display and online publication.
Other provisions attracting attention include sections 29, 31, 32, 82, 84 and 98 of the Electoral Act, which cover different aspects of candidate nominations, party primaries, voters’ register transparency and election campaigns.
Section 31 provides for the withdrawal and substitution of candidates up to 90 days before an election, while Section 32 addresses the publication of the final list of candidates within the 60-day period.
It was also gathered that while INEC was still accrediting candidates, it had instituted legal proceedings against opposition candidates over alleged failure to meet deadlines for submitting their parties’ membership registers.
The commission has maintained that its position on the membership registers was guided by judicial pronouncements, particularly the Supreme Court’s September 2026 ruling.
Lawyers fault selective enforcement of electoral laws
A lawyer and principal partner of O. M Ajonye and Company, Legal Wise Chambers, Makurdi, Omale Ajonye, said the allegations surrounding INEC’s compliance with the Electoral Act raised serious concerns about institutional accountability and the credibility of the electoral process.
He described it as inconsistent for the commission to demand strict adherence to statutory deadlines from political parties and candidates, while facing allegations that it had failed to fulfil its own legal responsibilities.
He said, “The law must bind both the regulator and the regulated. Equally disturbing is the allegation of differential treatment in the handling of candidates’ nominations. If opposition candidates are challenged for missing deadlines, while others in substantially similar circumstances are accommodated, INEC owes Nigerians a convincing legal explanation.
“Selective enforcement undermines electoral neutrality and public confidence. The alleged failure to meet the statutory timeline for the voters’ register is also serious. The register is the foundation of credible elections, and any failure to comply with prescribed requirements could compromise voters’ rights and the integrity of the electoral exercise.
“This raises the pertinent question: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?—who guards the guardians? INEC’s constitutional independence does not confer immunity from the law, judicial scrutiny or public accountability.”
Former National Secretary of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Dr Kunle Olajide, also said neither deliberate disregard for the law nor administrative failures should go unchallenged.
He urged INEC to understand that public trust depended not only on its independence but also on its willingness to abide by the same legal standards it expected political parties and candidates to observe.
Olajide maintained that the commission was an umpire rather than the owner of the electoral process, noting that its authority came from the Constitution and the Electoral Act, while the mandate belonged to Nigerians.
He added that the electoral body must demonstrate that no institution, including itself, was above the law.
Suraj cautions against blaming electoral umpire alone
However, Chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, Lanre Suraj, warned against holding INEC solely responsible for challenges facing the electoral process without examining the conduct of politicians and political parties.
He argued that political actors frequently complicated the commission’s responsibilities through internal disagreements, procedural violations and attempts to manipulate electoral processes for personal or political interests.
According to him, some politicians and parties were unwilling to comply with established rules whenever their ambitions were threatened.
Suraj said a proper understanding of Nigeria’s electoral challenges required an appreciation of the political manoeuvring and tactics that often characterised election-related disputes.
He urged citizens to distinguish between genuine institutional failures and controversies allegedly created by political actors to discredit electoral institutions or divert attention from their own shortcomings.
While stressing that his position did not excuse any failure by INEC to discharge its constitutional responsibilities, he maintained that allegations against the commission must be backed by verifiable evidence.
On claims that INEC treated parties differently by accepting or accrediting candidates submitted by the ruling party after the deadline while rejecting similar submissions from opposition parties, Suraj advised affected candidates and parties to seek judicial intervention.
He warned that making broad allegations of bias without establishing the facts could further weaken public confidence in democratic institutions.
“INEC must answer for any breach of the law, but politicians and political parties must equally be held responsible for their conduct. The credibility of elections,” he argued, “depends not only on the performance of the electoral umpire but also on parties’ willingness to respect the law, conduct transparent primaries and accept the rules governing electoral competition.”
Citizens urged to demand accountability
As questions persist over INEC’s implementation of the Electoral Act, stakeholders have identified court action, legislative oversight, independent monitoring and sustained public engagement as important ways of ensuring accountability.
Ajonye urged Nigerians to demand credible voter registration, independent election observation and strict compliance with electoral laws.
He advised citizens to verify specific allegations against relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, the commission’s official timetable and available documentary evidence.
He also identified the courts as a key avenue for challenging alleged violations, while calling on the Nigerian Bar Association and civil society organisations to monitor INEC’s activities.
He said the commission’s independence should not be interpreted as permission to disregard the law, adding that the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend partly on its willingness to obey the same rules it enforced on political parties and candidates.
Olajide called on the National Assembly to strengthen its oversight of the electoral body and urged affected parties and candidates to seek legal redress where their rights were allegedly violated.
He also advocated independent monitoring of the voters’ register, candidates’ lists, election technology and result-transmission arrangements by civil society groups.
The former Yoruba Council of Elders secretary further proposed that INEC release a detailed compliance report outlining its statutory responsibilities, deadlines, actions taken and explanations for any delays.
He said credible elections required more than assurances, insisting that Nigerians must demand transparency, consistency and accountability before election day.
INEC removes 1.27 million invalid voter records
Meanwhile, INEC has removed more than 1.27 million invalid entries from the National Register of Voters following a technology-assisted verification exercise that identified approximately 1.5 million questionable records.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday when the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, visited the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan said the exercise was part of efforts to clean up the voters’ database and eliminate irregularities that could affect the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
He explained that more than 1.27 million of the questionable records had been confirmed to be invalid and subsequently removed.
The chairman said the commission was committed to improving the reliability of the national register through technology, stronger administrative procedures and public participation in the verification process.
He disclosed that the register currently contained more than 103 million voters, with Nigerians aged between 18 and 34 accounting for nearly 29 per cent of the electorate.
According to him, INEC was conducting a comprehensive review through the claims and objections process ahead of the scheduled publication of the final voters’ register on December 15, 2026.
INEC outlines preparations, seeks international support
Amupitan also disclosed that the nationwide Permanent Voter Card collection exercise was ongoing, with collection centres decentralised to registration areas and wards across the 774 local government areas.
He said the commission was strengthening the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal to improve voter accreditation and transparency in the management of election results.
The INEC chairman said nine of the 14 activities on the revised timetable for the 2027 elections had been completed, while readiness assessments were continuing across the six geopolitical zones.
He added that the commission had procured 57,000 BVAS devices and election materials for 176,846 polling units.
Amupitan further disclosed that INEC had activated its Candidates Nomination Portal, which processed submissions from 21 of the country’s 22 registered political parties.
He identified misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and the increasing misuse of artificial intelligence as emerging threats to electoral credibility, calling for stronger international cooperation to tackle them.
Receiving the UN representative, the INEC chairman sought continued support from the international organisation to ensure peaceful elections.
Simão acknowledged the enormous responsibility confronting the commission amid security challenges in Nigeria and other West African countries.
He said elections should provide citizens with an opportunity to exercise their democratic rights peacefully and determine their political future, rather than become a source of violence, division and instability.
The UN representative assured INEC of the organisation’s support, saying it would remain engaged throughout the electoral process to encourage responsible conduct and peaceful participation.
“We are here, pleased to give you moral support, that you are not alone in facing this mammoth task,” he said.
He, however, clarified that the UN would not participate as an election observer because it lacked the mandate to undertake election observation.
Simão noted that the outcome of Nigeria’s 2027 elections would have implications beyond the country’s borders, particularly for democratic stability, regional integration and peace in West Africa.
At a separate meeting with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pete Vowles, Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to conducting free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.
He said INEC was improving its operational, technological and administrative capacity, particularly in election logistics, deployment of personnel and materials, BVAS operations, timely uploading of polling unit results to IReV and intelligence-led security cooperation.
The chairman also sought stronger collaboration with the United Kingdom in cybersecurity, technological integrity, specialised training for electoral personnel, strategic communication, tackling disinformation and voter education.
He called for continued assistance in promoting the participation of young people, women, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups in the electoral process.
Vowles, who disclosed that he had been in Nigeria for about eight weeks, described the country’s democracy as important to both Nigerians and the wider West African region.
He acknowledged the longstanding electoral partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, which has included technical assistance, capacity building, gender mainstreaming, voter education and institutional policy development.
