By Myke Uzendu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has projected that Nigeria’s registered voting population will surpass 100 million ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its 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 communication and inclusivity roadmap for the 2027 general elections, with a focus on ensuring that the polls are free, fair, credible, peaceful and inclusive.
Haruna said the previous voters’ register stood at more than 93 million, adding that the figure was expected to exceed 100 million when the recently concluded nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise was finalised.
He said the projected figure would place Nigeria as the largest electoral democracy in Africa.
With 151 days to the first phase of the 2027 general elections, Haruna charged INEC information officers with ensuring effective and timely publicity capable of mobilising all eligible citizens to participate in the polls.
“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,” he said.
Haruna stressed that communicating with more than 100 million voters required high professional standards, urging information officers to strengthen their knowledge of communication, electoral laws and other relevant legislation.
He said officers must communicate in simple and civil language while possessing adequate knowledge of the Constitution, Electoral Law and INEC guidelines.
“We must also be well-informed on other relevant legislation like the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts,” he added.
According to him, the progress recorded in recent off-cycle elections, including the Osun governorship election, would require greater effort to deliver what he described as the freest and most credible general elections in Nigeria’s history.
Also speaking, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Adedayo Oketola, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment under Prof. Joash Amupitan to conducting credible and inclusive elections.
Oketola described the joint implementation meeting as timely and critical to developing an actionable communication and inclusivity roadmap for the 2027 polls.
He said while technological infrastructure and operational logistics remained the backbone of electoral administration, the VEP and G&I departments constituted the “human face and voice” of the commission.
