Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately publish the preliminary voters’ register, expressing concern over its alleged unavailability on the commission’s online portal during the announced public scrutiny period.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, said the failure to make the register accessible during the October 9–15 inspection period raised questions about transparency and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku questioned how Nigerians could verify the accuracy of the register without access to the names of registered voters.
He noted that INEC had announced that the number of registered voters had exceeded 103 million, but alleged that people attempting to inspect the preliminary register through the commission’s portal were unable to access the information.
“INEC has announced more than 103 million registered voters. Nigerians went to its portal to inspect the names and found an empty page. That is an outrage,” Atiku said.
He argued that announcing the total number of registered voters was insufficient, stressing that citizens needed access to individual records to identify omissions, challenge questionable entries and correct errors before the elections.
Atiku also cited Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which he said required the preliminary voters’ register to be displayed at registration areas and online for public scrutiny.
He called on INEC to clarify the arrangements for the inspection exercise and provide details of when and where the register was made available.
The former vice president also questioned what he described as conflicting information about the timing of the exercise, referring to a reported statement by the INEC chairman on October 5 that public display had already been completed, followed by an announced inspection period from October 9 to 15.
Atiku demanded that the commission publish the relevant dates, links and records to clarify the circumstances surrounding the alleged lack of access.
