The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has projected that Nigeria’s registered voter population will exceed 100 million ahead of the 2027 general elections, as it moves to strengthen its communication and voter education strategy.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mallam Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the Commission’s Joint Implementation Meeting of the Departments of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) and Gender and Inclusivity (G&I).
The meeting was convened to develop a comprehensive communication and inclusivity roadmap for the 2027 general elections, with the objective of ensuring that the polls are free, fair, credible, peaceful and inclusive.
Haruna said the previous voter register contained more than 93 million registered voters, adding that the figure was expected to cross the 100 million mark following the conclusion and finalisation of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
According to him, the development would further cement Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest electoral democracy.
With 151 days to the first phase of the 2027 general elections, the national commissioner charged INEC information officers across the country to intensify voter education and public communication.
“Our job is to give the widest and most effective publicity to all five sets of elections to mobilise all Nigerians of voting age to choose their leaders. This job is at once simple and complex,” Haruna said.
He stressed that communicating effectively with more than 100 million voters would require professionalism, competence and a strong understanding of Nigeria’s legal and constitutional framework.
Haruna urged information officers to communicate in simple, civil and accessible language while developing a firm knowledge of the Constitution, Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.
He also urged them to familiarise themselves with other relevant legislation, including the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act.
The commissioner said the progress recorded in recent off-cycle elections, including the Osun governorship election, had raised expectations and placed greater responsibility on the Commission to deliver what he described as the freest and most credible general elections in Nigeria’s history.
Speaking at the meeting, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Adedayo Oketola, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment under its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to delivering credible and inclusive elections.
Oketola described the meeting as timely and crucial to developing an actionable communication and inclusivity roadmap for the 2027 polls.
He noted that while technology, logistics and operational infrastructure remained central to electoral administration, the VEP and G&I departments represented the human face and voice of the Commission.
“You build public trust, simplify complex procedures, and ensure that no eligible citizen is left behind,” Oketola said.
He, however, warned that the communication environment ahead of the 2027 elections would be increasingly threatened by misinformation and disinformation capable of undermining voter confidence and fuelling electoral apathy.
According to him, the most effective response is proactive, factual and continuous public engagement.
“Our messaging must move beyond traditional announcement-style publicity into aggressive, daily civic education that demystifies our technology, such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Results Viewing (IReV), and reinforces the integrity of the open secret ballot system,” he said.
On inclusivity, Oketola reaffirmed that electoral access for persons with disabilities, women, youths and elderly citizens remained a constitutional right.
He said the 2027 elections should establish a new standard for electoral accessibility through measures including the deployment of Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses, priority queues for vulnerable voters and increased youth participation through the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
Earlier, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Ms Victoria Eta-Messi, said the effectiveness of INEC’s grassroots voter sensitisation programmes depended largely on the capacity and efficiency of VEP heads in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Eta-Messi said the implementation meeting was designed to provide clarity, direction and uniformity in the execution of voter education and publicity programmes nationwide.
“With the off-cycle governorship elections out of the way, what lies ahead is the 2027 general election, and going by the line of activities of both departments, this meeting takes precedence and sets the tone for what lies ahead,” she said.
She added that the meeting would provide participants with an opportunity to review Commission-approved activities, examine implementation strategies and ensure that timelines and expectations were clearly understood.
The meeting was attended by heads of the Voter Education and Publicity and Gender and Inclusivity departments from the 36 states and the FCT.
