With 100 days to the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has opened a one-week window for registered voters to check their names and personal details in the voters’ register and challenge errors that could affect their participation in the polls.
The verification exercise, scheduled for October 9 to 15, 2026, will take place nationwide as part of the statutory process for producing the final register of voters for the elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the dates on Tuesday at a national stakeholders’ meeting convened to mark the 100-day countdown to the 2027 general election.
He said the exercise was required under Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, stressing that objections arising from the display would subsequently be addressed at the registration areas.
The commission’s announcement effectively puts the responsibility for detecting some errors in the register on voters themselves, who are expected to scrutinise their details and draw attention to discrepancies before the register is finalised.
Beyond the register display, INEC said distribution of the first batch of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to local government centres would begin on Friday, October 9.
The commission also disclosed plans to ease some of the logistical difficulties associated with voter registration through the introduction of an online registration portal.
According to Amupitan, the technology would be deployed for the first time in Nigeria to reduce the barriers created by distance and time for people seeking to complete voter registration processes.
INEC also announced the introduction of downloadable or printable PVC technology, which the chairman said was consistent with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The measures come as INEC moves into the final stretch of its preparations for the 2027 elections, with the commission saying nine of the 14 statutory milestones in its revised timetable have already been completed.
Amupitan said the voters’ register to be used for the 2027 general election would be presented to political parties on December 15, 2026.
He described the 100-day mark not merely as a countdown to election day but as a call to action for all stakeholders to contribute to an electoral process that meets expected standards of transparency, integrity and peaceful conduct.
For voters, however, the October 9–15 window represents an immediate opportunity to ensure that the information on which their participation in the 2027 election will depend is accurate before INEC closes the register for finalisation.
