INEC Rules Out Further Voter Registration Extension

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it cannot extend the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise again, explaining that it must now focus on preparing the voters’ register for the 2027 general elections.

The commission said it understands the concerns of eligible Nigerians who could not register before the exercise ended but insisted that the electoral timetable leaves no room for another extension.

INEC’s Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He explained that the commission had already granted a two-week extension after appeals from political parties and other stakeholders, adding that the additional period had already tightened its preparation schedule.

According to him, while new eligible voters become qualified to register every day, the commission must eventually bring the exercise to a close to comply with legal deadlines and complete the necessary processes before the elections.

He said the commission requires more than 75 days after the registration exercise to clean and verify the data collected, display the register for public inspection, resolve claims and objections, integrate validated information and produce Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

Ifogah noted that allowing the exercise to continue indefinitely would make it difficult for INEC to complete these statutory responsibilities within the time required by law.

He admitted that some Nigerians who were eligible to register were unable to do so before the deadline but said the commission had no option but to end the exercise.

The INEC official expressed regret over the situation, stating that the commission could not do anything further for those who missed the registration period.

The nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise officially ended on Sunday after the two-week extension granted by the commission. INEC said its attention has now shifted to producing the final voters’ register and completing other preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.