12, December 2025
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has expressed concern over the declining voter participation in Nigeria’s elections, citing the 27% turnout in the 2023 general elections as a warning sign.
He made this remark at the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room’s 9th annual National Stakeholders’ Forum on Elections in Abuja.
According to Prof. Amupitan, Nigeria’s democracy is under constant threat from misinformation, electoral malpractice, and violence.
He emphasized that securing the system requires a multi-sectoral approach, involving government institutions, civil society, and citizens.
The INEC Chairman stressed that credible elections remain the foundation of democracy, achievable only when political parties, the media, security agencies, civil society, and INEC collectively agree to uphold electoral rules and principles.
As a way to orofer solution, Prof. Amupitan highlighted INEC’s efforts to enhance transparency and credibility through technology, citing the BVAS and IReV portal as examples.
However, he acknowledged persistent challenges with telecommunications infrastructure, noting that achieving real-time result uploads across 176,000 polling units remains difficult. To address these gaps, INEC is working closely with the NCC and exploring alternative technologies.
*Voter Registration Update*
The INEC Chairman revealed that the Commission has recorded 2,685,725 completed registrations in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, including 1,576,137 online pre-registrations and 1,109,588 physical captures. Osun State leads the country with 208,357 new registrations, followed by Kano, Sokoto, and Imo
Prof. Amupitan urged stakeholders to sustain public sensitization until the final conclusion of the CVR exercise, which will end on August 30, 2026.
He emphasized the importance of partnership between civil society, community leaders, and the media in improving voter mobilization, citing the successful example of Anambra State where PVC collection rose from 63.9% to 98.80% after targeted outreach.
By working together, stakeholders can build a stronger consensus to secure Nigeria’s democracy and ensure credible elections that lead to accountable governance.
