POLITICS
‘Where is Voters’ Register?’ Atiku Queries INEC, Warns Tinubu Over Election Credibility
‘Where is Voters’ Register?’ Atiku Queries INEC, Warns Tinubu Over Election Credibility
Atiku demands immediate publication of the 103 million-name voters’ register, saying Nigerians must be able to inspect, challenge and correct entries before the 2027 election.
The ADC presidential candidate questions INEC’s conflicting accounts of when and where the preliminary register was displayed for public scrutiny.
Atiku demands transparency on ballot authentication, questioning how unmarked ballot papers will be verified and challenged under the Electoral Act 2026.
He warns Tinubu and INEC that an inaccessible voters’ register threatens confidence in the 2027 poll, urging election observers and democratic institutions to demand transparency now.
October 22, () – Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has demanded immediate publication of the preliminary voters’ register containing more than 103 million names, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of creating serious doubts about the credibility of the 2027 general election.
Atiku, through the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, on Thursday, questioned where and when the register was made available to Nigerians for the public scrutiny announced by INEC.
He said Nigerians could not be expected to trust an election when they were unable to inspect the register, verify their details, challenge questionable entries, or establish whether their names had been omitted.
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“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.
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The former Vice President’s intervention followed INEC’s announcement that the number of registered voters had risen to more than 103 million following the completion of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and biometric verification.
INEC had announced seven days, from October 9 to 15, for the preliminary register to be displayed for claims and objections.
Atiku, however, questioned the whereabouts of the register during the period, particularly the commission’s online publication of the list.
Where Is The Register?
Atiku said INEC’s handling of the exercise had raised fundamental questions that required immediate answers.
He pointed to what he described as conflicting statements over the timing of the public display, noting that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had reportedly said on October 5 that the public display had already been completed, even though Nigerians were subsequently informed that the exercise would run from October 9 to 15.
“Which statement is true? Where was the register published? For seven full days, or for no days at all?” he asked.
Atiku demanded that INEC publish the dates, links and records of access relating to the register, insisting that the commission must demonstrate that Nigerians were given the opportunity required by law to scrutinise the list.
He said INEC’s failure to provide access had left Nigerians unable to determine “who has been added, who has been removed and whether their own names remain on the register.”
The ADC candidate therefore demanded that the register be published by Local Government, Area Council and ward, with sufficient time provided for voters to challenge false entries and seek the restoration of omitted names.
Atiku Cites Electoral Act
Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku based his demand on Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires INEC to make the voters’ register available for public scrutiny at registration areas and online.
He argued that the statutory requirement could not be treated as optional.
“INEC announced a seven-day exercise and then failed to make the register available on the portal provided for public scrutiny. Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires display at registration areas and online. INEC does not get to treat that requirement as optional,” he said.
According to Atiku, public scrutiny of the register is essential because it allows voters and political parties to identify fraudulent entries, challenge the inclusion of ineligible persons and correct legitimate omissions before election day.
He warned that denying Nigerians access to the register could create opportunities for manipulation and undermine confidence in the outcome of the election.
“Anything less is an assault on the credibility of the 2027 election,” he said.
Atiku also raised concerns over the provisions of Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly the circumstances under which a returning officer may count a ballot paper without INEC’s official mark.
He questioned what evidence would establish that such a ballot came from a book supplied to the relevant polling unit, who would verify that claim, and how political parties would challenge a false determination.
“What evidence will establish that origin? Who will verify it, and how will parties challenge a false claim?” he asked.
Atiku argued that voters could not be denied access to the register before the election and then be asked to accept potentially unmarked ballots after voting without clear and enforceable safeguards.
He called on INEC to establish mechanisms for authenticating such ballots and urged the National Assembly to address any loophole that could leave the validity of a ballot dependent on an electoral officer’s unsupported assurance.
Questions Sensitive Materials Contracts
The former Vice President also questioned INEC’s failure, according to him, to respond to inquiries about companies awarded contracts to print sensitive electoral materials.
He said political parties and presidential candidates participating in the 2027 election had a legitimate interest in knowing the procedures and safeguards governing the production and handling of sensitive materials.
“The ADC and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are stakeholders in the upcoming presidential election and thus have the right to demand transparency from the electoral umpire about the protocols that will guide the election’s credibility,” he said.
Atiku maintained that transparency must cover the entire electoral process, rather than being limited to the announcement of results after voting.
Atiku Warns Tinubu
“Let me address Bola Tinubu directly: Nigerians are struggling to put food on the table, and too many are afraid for their lives and livelihoods. You will not add an unseen voters’ register to their suffering and call it a route to another four years in office,” he said.
Atiku said the President must face voters whose economic circumstances and security concerns, according to him, had worsened under the administration.
“You cannot hide their names from scrutiny and then ask them to trust the election conducted with that list,” he said.
He warned that any attempt to deny voters the right to inspect and challenge the register would be resisted through lawful means.
“INEC’s conduct has opened the door to manipulation and left Nigerians unable to check who has been added, who has been removed and whether their own names remain on the register. That door must be shut now,” he said.
Calls For International Pressure
Atiku also called on Nigeria’s international partners, election observers and democratic institutions to demand transparency from INEC before the election.
He urged them not to wait until after the poll to question its credibility.
“Do not wait until election day to ask whether this contest is credible. Demand access to the voters’ register now. Ask how every ballot paper will be authenticated,” he said.
According to him, transparency before voting is just as important as scrutiny of the results after the election.
“The right to vote begins with the right to know that your name is on the list. IEC must stop hiding behind a blank screen. Publish the register. Open it to scrutiny. Answer the country,” he said.
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