INEC Chairman Prof Joash Amupitan says10.7 million new voters were captured in three-phase CVR, as Commission announces 57,000 new BVAS, printable PVCs and nationwide PVC collection from October 9

Nigeria's National Register of Voters has crossed 103 million, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced Monday, marking the largest expansion of the country's voter roll in history ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed the figure on Monday, October 5, 2026, in Abuja at an Editors Workshop organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, and INEC.

According to him, the new figure followed the conclusion of a three-phase Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, the public display of the Preliminary Register of Voters for claims and objections, and a final cleanup of the register using the Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS, by the Voter Registry Department.

"After the CVR which captured over 10.6 million new applicants... Nigeria's National Register of Voters is now over 103 million," Amupitan said.

The figure represents a sharp rise from the 93.47 million registered voters recorded for the 2023 general elections, with about 10 million new verified voters added after ABIS deduplication.

Breakdown of CVR

The Commission said the CVR was conducted in line with Section 10 of the Electoral Act 2026, in three phases:

Phase 1: August 25 - December 10, 2025 = 2,611,266 new registrants

Phase 2: January 5 - April 17, 2026 = 4,121,835 new registrants

Phase 3: May 11 - July 26, 2026 = 3,867,997 new registrants

Total before ABIS cleanup: 10,772,421

INEC said Phase 3 introduced key innovations under Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, including an Online Registration Portal and the printable Permanent Voter Card, PVC, for quick replacement of lost or stolen cards. The printable PVC was piloted during the Osun governorship election.

The new milestone aligns with earlier projections. In August 2026, National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna had projected that the register would cross the 100 million mark, while in September, Amupitan said the figure was approaching 100 million.

PVC Collection Begins October 9

Amupitan announced that collection of PVCs nationwide will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026, with Phase One PVCs already deployed to Local Government centres. He urged the media to help publicise the exercise to ensure high collection rate.

2027 Timetable And Preparations

For the 2027 elections, INEC has scheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, and Governorship and State Assembly elections for February 6.

The Commission said it has completed 8 of the 14 activities on its timetable, which was revised on February 26, 2026. Audits of INEC offices, storage facilities and logistics have been concluded in the South-West and North-West zones, with other zones pending. Procurement of non-sensitive materials is ongoing.

Technology And Anti-Malpractice Measures

On technology, Amupitan disclosed the acquisition of 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation Systems, BVAS, with hardened software, optimised battery performance and recalibrated biometrics to prevent bypass.

On vote-buying, the INEC Chairman was emphatic: “Elections must be decided by the conviction of the voter, not the depth of a candidate's pocket.”

He said INEC is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, for joint monitoring, undercover surveillance at polling units, and the arrest and prosecution of offenders under the Electoral Act 2026.

The Commission also warned against election violence, thuggery and hate speech, noting that the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, early-warning mechanism has been activated.

Amupitan further flagged the growing threat of misinformation and AI-generated deepfakes to the electoral process.

In his remarks, NGE President, Eze Anaba, called for openness and the provision of accurate information to combat disinformation ahead of the polls.