Voter register review begins as INEC closes registration

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The Independent National Electoral Commission has concluded the first quarter of its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise, paving the way for the public review of the voter register.

The first phase of the exercise, which began with online pre-registration on August 18, 2025, and was followed by in-person registration across all 774 local government areas and the Federal Capital Territory, formally ended on Wednesday, December 10.

The announcement was made in a statement issued on Wednesday by the commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi.

INEC urged all registrants, especially those who updated or transferred their voter information, to use the review period to verify their details and file any objections as needed.

The review, scheduled from December 15 to 21, 2025, will take place at local government offices across the country, in line with Section 19 of the Electoral Act 2022.

According to INEC, a total of 9,891,801 online pre-registrations were recorded nationwide by the end of the 13th week of the exercise.

“Of these, 2,572,054 registrations have been fully completed, including 1,503,832 online and 1,068,222 physical registrations as of November 28, 2025,” the statement noted.

The commission noted that registration in Anambra State and the Federal Capital Territory remains suspended due to ongoing electoral activities, with new dates to be announced later.

Eta-Messi stated, “The commission wishes to inform the public that the first quarter of this exercise will formally close on Wednesday, 10th December 2025. In line with Section 19 of the Electoral Act 2022, the commission will commence the display of the register of voters for claims and objections from 15th to 21st December 2025. The display will take place at the Local Government offices where the exercise took place.”

INEC urged citizens, especially those who registered, transferred, or updated their information, to take advantage of the review period to verify details and file objections where necessary.

The second phase of the CVR is scheduled to resume on January 5, 2026, in accordance with the earlier timetable.

“In line with the earlier released timelines for the CVR exercise, the 2nd phase of the exercise will resume on January 5th, 2026.

“INEC reaffirms its commitment to maintaining a credible, inclusive, and transparent register of voters, and counts on the continued cooperation of Nigerians as we work together to strengthen our democracy,” Eta-Messi said.

In Plateau State, female voters took the lead in collecting their Permanent Voter Cards, demonstrating enthusiasm and commitment to the electoral process.

Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Mohammed Abubakar Sadiq, disclosed this during a stakeholders meeting in Jos on Wednesday.

Sadiq said, “The continuous voter registration exercise commenced on August 18, 2025, with online pre-registration, followed by in-person registration on August 25. The registration and production of an accurate voter register are fundamental anchors of our electoral system.”

He added, “We have received a total of 76,451 applications over the past three months, with 25,290 new registrations completed.

“So far, female PVC collection leads with 610 cards collected compared to 394 for males. Those yet to be captured are 7,019, with 44,142 incidents and 101,200 uncollected PVCs.”

Sadiq identified incomplete registrations and uncollected PVCs as key challenges and urged registrants to use the display period from December 15 to 21 to check and correct their details.

He also thanked stakeholders, including traditional rulers, local government councils, political parties, security agencies, and media, for their support in mobilizing citizens.

“The second phase of continuous voter registration will commence on January 5, 2026,” he said.

Sadiq expressed concern over the low turnout of registered voters collecting their PVCs, noting that the commission had made significant efforts to ensure that PVCs were available for collection.

Sadiq said, “We keep on mentioning to the good people of Plateau state that the owners of the  over 101,000 PVCs should come over because it will surprise you that in the last three months, only 1,004 out of over 101,000 picked up their voter cards, which represents a 0.09 per cent collection rate.

“That means that even one per cent collection we have not reached in Plateau.”

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