With barely 73 days to the 2027 general elections, Nigeria’s electoral umpire is facing an uncomfortable credibility test, as legal practitioners and political stakeholders question its compliance with statutory requirements it is constitutionally mandated to enforce.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is under scrutiny over alleged delays in publishing the preliminary voters’ register online and its handling of political parties’ membership records and candidate nominations, raising questions about consistency in the application of the Electoral Act 2026.
At the centre of the controversy is whether the commission can insist that political parties and candidates strictly observe electoral deadlines while facing allegations of failing to meet some of its own legal obligations.
The concerns have intensified following allegations that INEC missed the October 18 deadline for publishing the preliminary voters’ register on its website, despite conducting the physical display exercise between October 9 and 15.
Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires the commission to make the preliminary register available for public scrutiny through physical display at registration areas and simultaneous publication on its website.
Stakeholders argue that failure to fulfil both requirements could limit citizens’ ability to scrutinise the register, identify irregularities and protect their voting rights before the final list is produced.
The controversy has also extended to the commission’s treatment of political parties over membership registers and candidate nominations, with lawyers questioning whether similar circumstances have attracted different administrative responses.
A lawyer and principal partner of O.M. Ajonye and Company, Omale Ajonye, said the law must apply equally to the electoral umpire and the political actors under its supervision.
He argued that selective enforcement of statutory requirements could undermine the neutrality of the commission and weaken confidence in the electoral process.
“The law must bind both the regulator and the regulated,” he said, insisting that INEC owed Nigerians explanations over alleged inconsistencies in its handling of electoral deadlines.
Former National Secretary of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Dr Kunle Olajide, also maintained that the commission’s independence did not exempt it from legal scrutiny and institutional accountability.
He urged the National Assembly to strengthen its oversight of INEC and called for greater transparency in the commission’s interpretation and implementation of the electoral law.
However, Chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, Lanre Suraj, cautioned against attributing every electoral controversy to INEC, arguing that political parties and their candidates must also accept responsibility for procedural violations and internal disputes.
He maintained that allegations of preferential treatment should be supported by verifiable evidence, rather than assumptions capable of further eroding confidence in democratic institutions.
The debate comes against the background of INEC’s ongoing efforts to clean up the national voters’ register ahead of the elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed on Wednesday that the commission had identified approximately 1.5 million questionable voter records through a technology-assisted verification exercise and removed more than 1.27 million entries confirmed to be invalid.
Speaking during a meeting with the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Amupitan said the exercise was part of efforts to strengthen the integrity of the national register.
He disclosed that the register currently contained more than 103 million voters, with young Nigerians aged between 18 and 34 accounting for nearly 29 per cent of the electorate.
The commission is expected to publish the final register on December 15, 2026, following the ongoing claims and objections exercise.
Amupitan also revealed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 activities on its revised electoral timetable and procured 57,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices for the 176,846 polling units nationwide.
He said the commission was strengthening its technological and operational capacity, including the deployment of BVAS and the INEC Result Viewing Portal to improve voter accreditation and transparency in result management.
The commission has also deployed its Candidates Nomination Portal, which processed nominations for 21 of the country’s 22 registered political parties.
Beyond domestic preparations, Amupitan sought international support to address emerging threats, including misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and the misuse of artificial intelligence during elections.
Simão assured INEC of the United Nations’ support for peaceful elections but clarified that the organisation would not participate as an election observer, having no mandate to undertake such an assignment.
Similarly, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pete Vowles, reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s electoral development, particularly in cybersecurity, technology, capacity building, voter education and the fight against disinformation.
With the election timetable advancing, the central challenge for INEC is no longer limited to acquiring election technology or completing administrative preparations. It must also demonstrate that the rules governing the electoral process are applied consistently, transparently and without preferential treatment.
For millions of Nigerians preparing to exercise their voting rights in January 2027, confidence in the electoral umpire will depend not only on the credibility of election-day procedures but also on its willingness to remain accountable throughout the process.
