By Beatrice Gondyi
Former Kogi State Deputy Governor, Chief Edward Onoja, has voiced strong concern over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) continued failure to release the updated voter registration figures across polling units nationwide.
In a post on his official Facebook account on Thursday, Onoja expressed dismay that it has been over five weeks since the conclusion of the year-long Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, yet the Commission remains silent on the final, polling-unit-level data.
“It has been over five weeks since the conclusion of the year-long Continuous Voter Registration exercise, yet INEC is yet to publish the updated voter registration figures across polling units nationwide,” Onoja wrote.
He noted that in previous exercises, such voter figures were typically made available within two weeks and presented clearly across relevant demographics.
“In previous exercises, such data was typically made available within two weeks and presented clearly across relevant demographics,” he stated.
The former deputy governor stressed that voter registration data serves as the foundation upon which the credibility, transparency, and integrity of any election are built.
“Voter registration data is the foundation upon which the credibility, transparency and integrity of any election are built,” Onoja declared.
He further urged INEC to uphold the standards it has established over the years, warning that this is no time to drop the ball.
“INEC must uphold the standards it has established over the years. This is no time to drop the ball,” he said.
The former deputy governor insisted that Nigerians deserve better from the electoral body.
“Nigerians deserve timely, transparent and accessible data,” Onoja wrote, urging the Commission to “live up to the standard.”
While the final certified figures are yet to be published, INEC had earlier released preliminary data showing the scale of the exercise.
According to the Commission, a cumulative 10,399,288 Nigerians completed the registration process across the three phases of the CVR exercise that ended on July 26, 2026.
The just-concluded third phase contributed 3,867,997 new registrations, comprising 1,170,134 online registrations and 2,697,863 physical registrations.
INEC had previously stated that the preliminary figures would undergo a mandatory clean-up through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to remove duplicate registrations, deceased voters, and other invalid entries before the final register is published.
If all registrations were to be added, Nigeria’s voter register could rise from the 93,469,008 used in the 2023 general election to approximately 103.9 million ahead of the 2027 polls.
Kano State recorded the highest number of completed registrations during the final phase with 330,906, followed by Lagos (181,254) and Delta (166,895).
However, despite the availability of these preliminary figures, the detailed breakdown across polling units has yet to be made public, prompting Onoja’s criticism.
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