Voter registration: INEC, NIMC to boost partnership on identity management
The Independent National Electoral Commission and the National Identity Management Commission are set to deepen their collaboration in a move aimed at harmonising identity and voter registration processes across Nigeria.
During a courtesy visit to INEC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, praised the ongoing cooperation between the two federal agencies, emphasising its potential to transform the country’s electoral system.
Highlighting the scale of the cooperation, Yakubu noted that both agencies collectively hold the largest biometric databases in Nigeria—INEC for electoral purposes, and NIMC for general citizenship identification.
Looking ahead, Yakubu expressed optimism about the future of electoral reforms through identity integration.
“We look forward to the day when your database will serve as the single source of truth for citizenship identification in Nigeria.
“When the time comes, the national register of voters may simply draw from the citizenship register, as is the case in many jurisdictions around the world,” he said.
According to Yakubu, such integration could eventually allow citizens to vote from any location in the country, regardless of where they initially registered—an ambitious vision requiring close and continuous collaboration.
As part of current efforts, NIMC will now deploy officials to selected INEC Continuous Voter Registration centres nationwide. This initiative will enable Nigerians who have yet to obtain their National Identification Number to register at the same time they sign up to vote.
“This idea is to provide more Nigerians who are yet to enrol for the NIN the opportunity to do so.
“Working with NIMC, we carried out a pilot during the recent CVR in Anambra State from 8th to 20th July 2025. We are now set to scale it up nationwide,” the INEC chairman noted.
He added that NIMC will, in due course, announce the specific CVR locations where its officials will be present, along with guidelines for the registration process.
The INEC Chairman reiterated the commission’s commitment to working with relevant national institutions to bolster electoral integrity and expand access for citizens.
“We welcome this partnership with NIMC, which is in keeping with our commitment to synergise with every national institution to strengthen electoral activities in Nigeria,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director-General of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, affirmed the agency’s full commitment to the partnership, describing it as a pivotal move toward establishing a unified identity database.
She stressed that the initiative would enhance governance, promote accountability, and ensure inclusive access for all Nigerians.
“Our focus is integration, organisation, and trust. Working hand in hand with INEC, we are creating a system Nigerians can rely on, not just for elections, but for access to essential services nationwide,” she said.
INEC commenced the ongoing nationwide CVR on August 18, 2025. According to its latest data, a total of 2,532,062 Nigerians had successfully pre-registered online as of August 31.
INEC also noted that in-person registration commenced on August 25, 2025. By August 29, the commission reported that 72,274 individuals had completed their registration, either by finalising their pre-registration or through new in-person enrolment.
