Voter Registration: Opposition Parties Make Fresh Demand as INEC Rules Out Extension

Voter Registration: Opposition Parties Make Fresh Demand as INEC Rules Out Extension
PDP, ADC and Labour Party leaders cite concerns over voter participation.
INEC insists the Continuous Voter Registration exercise ends on Sunday.

Opposition Parties Demand Extension of Voter Registration as INEC Deadline Ends

Opposition political parties have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to allow more eligible Nigerians to register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The demand came as INEC maintained that the voter registration exercise would end on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the National Publicity Secretary of the Interim National Working Committee of the Taminu Turaki led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ini Ememobong, said many Nigerians were discouraged from registering despite efforts by political parties to mobilise citizens at the grassroots.

Speaking in an interview with Punch, Ememobong attributed the low participation to a lack of confidence among some Nigerians in INEC’s ability to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

He urged the electoral commission to prioritise inclusivity by extending the registration period.

“Nigerians are discouraged, and this is putting them off registering. Unless INEC clearly demonstrates that it is impartial and capable of conducting credible elections, it will continue to have a negative impact on participation,” he said.

Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, argued that voter registration should not be restricted by specific timelines.

Abdullahi said Nigerians should have unrestricted access to voter registration whenever they decide to participate in the electoral process.

He said the party had mobilised citizens across the country to register but noted that many people found it difficult to leave their daily jobs and spend hours waiting at INEC offices.

“We have also mobilised people across the country to INEC to register, but you know it is not easy for people to abandon their daily work to go and queue for hours at INEC offices for registration. What we have done is mobilise our people at the grassroots level,” he said.

Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, criticised the planned closure of the registration exercise.

Ifoh argued that the CVR was designed to be continuous and should remain open to accommodate eligible Nigerians who wish to participate in the electoral process, including those who would attain the voting age before the 2027 elections.

According to him, allowing voter registration to continue until December would not disrupt INEC’s preparations for the elections.

“The name of the exercise is Continuous Voter Registration, and we should start with the name and allow people who have an interest in participating in the election to register,” he said.

“I don’t see how people registering even up to December can obstruct what INEC is doing, so long as those people are not going to contest elections.”

Ifoh further criticised what he described as barriers to electoral participation in Nigeria, arguing that the registration process should be made easier for eligible citizens.

Opposition Parties Make Fresh Demand as INEC

“It is only in Nigeria that electoral umpires put barriers in place to keep people from participating. In most other countries, once you have a national identity, it is enough for you to vote, but here they are making it a big deal,” he said.

“I don’t know where the idea of stopping people from participating in the CVR comes from or how it will help INEC. Millions of Nigerians will turn 18 by December. Are they saying those people should not register?”

The opposition parties’ calls come as INEC maintains its position that the registration deadline will not be extended, saying it needs to conclude the exercise and begin processing and cleaning the data collected ahead of the 2027 general elections.