Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate publication of the preliminary voters’ register, warning that its absence from INEC’s online display during the announced October 9 to 15 scrutiny period raises questions about the integrity of the 2027 election.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said INEC’s failure to make the register available online was an outrage.
“INEC has announced more than 103 million registered voters. Nigerians went to its portal to inspect the names and found an empty page. That is an outrage. A figure cannot answer an objection. A press announcement cannot tell a voter whether her name has been omitted. Show Nigerians the register,” Atiku said.
He said he could not recall “a more brazen invitation to distrust the voter register,” noting that INEC announced a seven-day exercise and then failed to make the register available on the portal provided for public scrutiny.
According to him, Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires display at registration areas and online, adding that INEC does not get to treat the requirement as optional.
Atiku pointed to conflicting statements on the display exercise, saying INEC’s chairman reportedly said on October 5 that the public display had already been completed, while Nigerians were subsequently told it would take place from October 9 to 15.
“Which statement is true? Where was the register published? For seven full days, or for no days at all? INEC must produce the dates, the links and the records of access,” he said.
The former vice president also raised concerns over Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which permits a returning officer to count a ballot paper without INEC’s official mark if satisfied that it came from a book supplied to the polling unit.
“What evidence will establish that origin? Who will verify it, and how will parties challenge a false claim? Nigerians cannot be denied access to the voters’ register before election day and then be asked to accept unmarked ballot papers after voting. INEC must set out enforceable safeguards against counterfeit ballots, and the National Assembly must close any loophole that leaves the authenticity of a vote to an officer’s unsupported assurance,” he said.
Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said INEC has yet to respond to inquiries about the identity of companies awarded contracts to print sensitive election materials.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure transparency, saying Nigerians cannot be asked to trust an election conducted with a list they cannot scrutinize.
“You cannot hide their names from scrutiny and then ask them to trust the election conducted with that list. Nigerians have the right to inspect the register, challenge false entries and correct omissions. If that right is denied, we will challenge it in the open and through every lawful means available,” he said.
He also called on international partners, election observers and democratic institutions to press INEC to comply with the law.
“Publish the register by local government, area council and ward. Explain the conflicting dates. Give voters the full opportunity the law provides to challenge false entries and restore omitted names. Anything less is an assault on the credibility of the 2027 election,” Atiku said.
