2027: Atiku Knocks INEC, Tinubu Over Failure To Publish Voters’ Register

The presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its alleged failure to make the preliminary voters’ register available for public scrutiny ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Atiku said the failure to publish the register during the announced October 9 to 15 inspection period had raised serious concerns about the credibility of the forthcoming election.

He demanded its immediate release and urged the electoral body to explain conflicting statements about the exercise.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said Nigerians could not verify the reported figure of more than 103 million registered voters without access to the register.

The former vice president claimed that citizens who visited INEC’s online portal during the inspection period found no register available for examination.

“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,” he said.

The ex-vice president argued that the commission’s announcement of the total number of registered voters was insufficient without allowing citizens to check their details, identify omissions and challenge questionable entries.

Atiku also cited Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which he said requires the voters’ register to be displayed at registration areas and online for public scrutiny.

He further questioned the commission’s timeline for the exercise, alleging that INEC’s chairman had reportedly said on October 5 that the public display had already been completed, despite the subsequent announcement of October 9 to 15 as the inspection period.

He demanded that the commission publish the dates and links for the exercise and provide records showing when the register was accessible to the public.

Atiku also raised concerns about the authentication of ballot papers, citing Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which he said allows 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.

He questioned how the origin of such ballot papers would be established and what safeguards would prevent counterfeit ballots from being accepted.

The ADC chieftain called on INEC to introduce enforceable measures to protect the authenticity of ballot papers and urged the National Assembly to address any loopholes that could undermine confidence in the electoral process.

The statement also accused INEC of failing to respond to inquiries about the companies awarded contracts to print sensitive election materials.

Atiku maintained that political parties and candidates had a right to demand transparency from the electoral commission over the procedures that would determine the credibility of the 2027 presidential election.

Addressing President Bola Tinubu, the former vice president linked the controversy to the economic and security challenges facing Nigerians, arguing that the government should not expect citizens to trust an election without access to the voters’ register.

“You will not add an unseen voters’ register to their suffering and call it a route to another four years in office,” he said.

He warned that the inability of voters to inspect the register could prevent them from determining whether their names had been omitted, other names had been improperly added or their personal details had been altered.

Atiku demanded that INEC publish the register by local government, area council and ward, explain the conflicting dates surrounding its inspection and provide voters with the opportunity to challenge false entries and restore omitted names.

He also urged Nigeria’s international partners, election observers and democratic institutions to press the commission to comply with the law before election day.

According to him, public access to the register and clear procedures for authenticating ballot papers are essential to ensuring that the 2027 election is credible.

The ADC presidential hopeful insisted that Nigerians must be allowed to verify their registration details and exercise their legal rights before voting begins, warning that any failure to address the concerns could further undermine public confidence in the electoral process.