Opposition, Civil Society Warn INEC Voter Revalidation May Disenfranchise Millions

A growing wave of resistance has greeted the proposed voter revalidation exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission, with opposition parties, political movements, and civil society organisations warning that the initiative could disenfranchise millions of Nigerians, deepen public distrust, and distort the credibility of the 2027 general elections if not reconsidered.

The African Democratic Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the Obidient movement, alongside prominent civil society voices, on Sunday raised serious concerns about the exercise, questioning its timing, feasibility, and underlying intent, particularly as it comes less than a year before a major national poll.

Spokesman of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, delivered one of the strongest criticisms, pointing to the structural and socio-economic barriers that could prevent ordinary Nigerians, especially those in rural communities, from participating in the exercise. He questioned the practicality of implementing such a process nationwide within a short timeframe, stressing that even voter registration itself has historically faced challenges in reaching remote populations.

“How does INEC expect Nigerians to carry out the revalidation exercise in all the polling units, wards, local governments and states in the first place? Even getting people to register is difficult,” Abdullahi said, expressing concern over the scale and logistics of the exercise.

He further highlighted the disconnect between policy formulation and the realities faced by rural dwellers, arguing that many Nigerians lack both the financial capacity and access to infrastructure required to participate effectively. “How do you ask villagers and those in rural areas to validate online nine months before the election? These are people who may not even have money to eat. You are asking them to abandon their jobs to go to polling units and INEC offices to join a queue,” he said.

In a pointed remark that underscored his skepticism, Abdullahi added, “They just don’t want to go to the election. It is as simple as that. This is just a case of the opposition talking,” framing the exercise as one that could ultimately suppress voter turnout.

From the Peoples Democratic Party, National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong also criticised the initiative, describing it as ill-timed and misaligned with the commission’s immediate priorities. He argued that the focus should instead be on addressing logistical shortcomings that have plagued recent elections, rather than introducing new processes that could complicate participation.

“From the outset, the timing of the exercise is very wrong. The voter register has been there since the last general election, and they have not thought of what to do with it. So, to do that revalidation at this time, when they know how difficult it is for people to even register, is a further attempt in the INEC/APC political playbook to ensure a coronation, an uncontested presidential election,” Ememobong said.

He questioned the urgency behind the move, asking, “So what’s the hurry? If you couldn’t do it early, then you leave it,” while warning that such actions could be interpreted as politically motivated.

Ememobong also criticised what he described as a diversion from core electoral responsibilities, pointing to other recent actions by the commission. “In a small area council election in Abuja, INEC had performed poorly in logistics, and instead of preparing for logistics, how does the revalidation of voters help? How does checking up on political parties help?” he asked.

He went further to allege that the exercise could be part of a broader strategy to weaken opposition parties. “At the end, we suspect that what INEC wants to do is to deregister opposition political parties that are not in bed with them or not in bed with the APC. Therefore, we are saying that it is a misplacement of priority for INEC to do this, instead of concentrating on getting logistics right,” he stated.

Within the ADC itself, internal factions also raised alarm. A faction led by Nafiu Gombe warned that the technical requirements associated with the exercise could exclude a significant portion of the population. Bala Sani, Chief of Staff to Gombe, emphasised the digital and identification hurdles that many Nigerians may struggle to overcome.

“It is a bad time. The timing is not convenient for Nigerians to even do their voter registration alone if you also factor in the fact that our people are villagers because revalidation has to do with ICT,” he said.

Highlighting identification challenges, he added, “You are expected to attach your NIN. When you go to an average village in this country, how many of the people even have this NIN? They have the voter card but not the NIN. And you are saying it is mandatory to bring your voter card this time.”

Sani warned of far-reaching consequences if the exercise proceeds unchanged. “Honestly speaking, many people will be disenfranchised in the 2027 election. They should have done this at least two years before the election. And it has to be a continuous process,” he said, urging the commission to suspend the plan and rely on existing voter cards for the upcoming election cycle.

From the Obidient movement, National Coordinator Yunusa Tanko framed the issue as one of trust and participation, warning that the exercise could worsen already low voter turnout figures. He pointed to the significant gap between registered voters and those who actually participated in the last election, suggesting that additional procedural steps could further discourage engagement.

“At this point in time, over 98 million people are registered as voters, but only 25 million voted in the past election. Even at that, INEC has disenfranchised millions of registered voters,” Tanko said.

He argued that the revalidation process could drastically reduce participation even further. “A revalidation will further reduce the number from the existing 25 million to probably a million or two people. This is because the people are already seeing INEC as unfair and don’t have trust in them. In fact, many will not even bother to do any revalidation exercise,” he stated.

Tanko also alleged political motives behind the initiative, describing it as a tactic to suppress opposition votes. “This particular attempt is one of the gimmicks by the ruling party and the people in government to annihilate and reduce the number of people who plan to vote for the opposition parties,” he said, insisting that the exercise was “totally unacceptable.”

Civil society organisations echoed these concerns, focusing on institutional trust, logistical readiness, and the broader implications for democratic participation. Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, warned that the move could further weaken public confidence in the electoral body.

“Our call is for the electoral commission to do everything possible to restore confidence in the Nigerian voters. The recent action of INEC is further discouraging and demoralising many Nigerians to have confidence in the sincerity of INEC to conduct free, fair, and credible elections,” Rafsanjani said.

He also raised concerns about capacity, arguing that the commission may not be adequately prepared to execute such a large-scale operation within the proposed timeframe. “This exercise that they are doing, they should know that it is humanly going to be extremely difficult for them to conduct it successfully, given the fact that the time framework is very short,” he noted, adding that both manpower and technological limitations could undermine the process.

Rafsanjani warned that the approach could lead to confusion and disputes, stating, “Many Nigerians are alleging that it is a calculated attempt to defraud them or to disenfranchise them from participating in the electoral process.”

Offering a more nuanced perspective, the Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh, acknowledged the necessity of maintaining a clean voter register but stressed that the exercise alone would not resolve deeper issues affecting electoral participation.

“I think it’s necessary, but again, the necessity does not negate the fact that there’s still a trust problem with INEC,” Odeh said, describing the process as a “necessary evil” that must be complemented by broader efforts to rebuild confidence.

He emphasised that revalidation would not automatically translate into higher voter turnout. “If you do revalidation… it doesn’t build the trust gap that is affecting voters in the long term,” he said, urging the commission to focus on strategies that would encourage greater participation in future elections.

Also rejecting the exercise, the Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, questioned its conceptual basis, arguing that the idea of a Permanent Voter Card should not require periodic revalidation.

“When they said something is permanent, it is not supposed to be subjected to periodic re-evaluation or revalidation. That means that they didn’t think out the strategy before they adopted it,” Adeniran said, describing the exercise as unnecessary and burdensome.

Amid the growing backlash, a former INEC official, Oluwole Uzzi, offered a legal perspective, affirming that the commission has the constitutional authority to conduct voter registration and revalidation. However, he acknowledged that the timing of the exercise remains a critical point of contention.

“INEC has the right to conduct voter registration… constitutionally, INEC has the right to do that. It has the legal right to do that,” Uzzi said, while adding that the political implications of the timing cannot be ignored.

“So whether it’s an opportune time to do that is a totally different issue. That’s a political issue. Legally, it has the right, but politically, a lot of people have their doubts about what’s being done at this very time,” he noted.

He questioned why the exercise was being introduced alongside ongoing voter registration efforts, stating, “Now CVR has been going on for several months. Why are you just doing it at the time of CVR?”

Uzzi warned that proceeding with the exercise so close to an election could create unnecessary tension. “Just a few months to the election, it’s not an opportune time to do this, and they have a valid argument in that regard,” he said, calling for broader consultation with stakeholders to ensure transparency and public confidence.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of INEC’s initial announcement that it would conduct a nationwide voter revalidation exercise from April 13 to May 29, 2026, targeting the removal of ineligible entries such as deceased persons, underage voters, non-Nigerians, and cases of multiple registrations as part of efforts to strengthen the integrity of the voter register.

However, in a subsequent development, the commission directed its Resident Electoral Commissioners to suspend all preparations for the exercise, including logistics and public communication, pending further directives, signaling a possible reconsideration amid mounting criticism.

Even with the suspension, the debate has exposed deep divisions and lingering mistrust within Nigeria’s electoral landscape, raising critical questions about inclusivity, transparency, and the balance between electoral reform and democratic access as the country moves steadily toward the 2027 general elections.