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 strategies to cope with the country’s expanding electorate.
The commission said the projected increase would make Nigeria the largest electoral democracy in Africa and place greater responsibility on its information and voter education officers to effectively communicate electoral procedures, rights and responsibilities to millions of eligible citizens.
National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s 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) for the 2027 General Elections.
The meeting was convened to develop a communication and inclusivity roadmap for the 2027 elections, with emphasis on ensuring that the polls are free, fair, credible, peaceful and inclusive.
Haruna said the previous voter register contained more than 93 million registered voters and expressed confidence that the figure would cross the 100 million mark when the recently concluded nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise is fully concluded.
He said the growth in the electorate required the commission to adopt a more strategic and professional approach to voter communication, particularly as the 2027 elections draw closer.
With 151 days to the commencement of the first phase of the general elections, the national commissioner charged INEC information officers with the responsibility of delivering broad, timely and effective publicity capable of mobilising eligible Nigerians to participate in the electoral process.
“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.
According to him, the scale of the projected electorate means that INEC’s communication personnel must operate at a high professional standard and possess adequate knowledge of the legal and institutional framework governing elections.
He urged the officers to ensure that their messages were delivered in simple, clear and civil language capable of being understood by citizens across different backgrounds.
“First, we must have a grasp of the language we wish to communicate in and do so with the simplest words and in the most civil manner.
“Second, we must be knowledgeable about our country’s Constitution, the Electoral Law, and the Commission’s Guidelines.
“We must also be well-informed on other relevant legislation like the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts,” he said.
Haruna further urged the officers to build on the lessons and gains recorded during recent off-cycle elections, including the Osun State governorship election, saying the commission would need to work harder to deliver what he described as the freest and most credible general elections in the country’s history.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Adedayo Oketola, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment under Prof. Joash Amupitan to delivering credible and inclusive elections.
Oketola said the outcome of the joint meeting would be implemented as part of efforts to strengthen the commission’s communication architecture ahead of 2027.
He described the meeting as timely and critical to the development of an actionable communication and inclusivity roadmap, stressing that electoral administration was not solely dependent on technology and logistics.
According to him, while technological infrastructure and operational logistics provide the backbone of election management, the VEP and G&I departments constitute 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, identified misinformation and disinformation as major threats to the 2027 electoral process, warning that false information could undermine public confidence in INEC, discourage voter participation and fuel electoral apathy.
He said the commission must therefore move away from relying predominantly on conventional, announcement-based publicity and embrace sustained civic education and public engagement.
“The antidote to disinformation is proactive, factual, and continuous public engagement,” he said.
Oketola said INEC’s messaging ahead of the elections must include regular explanations of the commission’s electoral technologies and procedures, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal.
He also stressed the need for voter education on the integrity and operation of the open secret ballot system to dispel misconceptions and strengthen public understanding of the electoral process.
The commission also placed strong emphasis on ensuring that the 2027 elections are accessible to groups that may face barriers to electoral participation.
Oketola said the electoral rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), women, youths and elderly citizens must remain central to the commission’s preparations.
He said INEC would continue to promote measures designed to improve access to voting for vulnerable groups, including the deployment of Braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses, as well as priority arrangements for vulnerable voters.
“From the deployment of Braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses to prioritising vulnerable queues and expanding youth participation through Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), 2027 must set a new benchmark for electoral access in Nigeria,” he said.
He said inclusivity should not be treated as an auxiliary component of election management but as an essential requirement for credible democratic participation.
The Director of Voter Education and Publicity, GVictoria Eta-Messi, said the effectiveness of INEC’s voter sensitisation and enlightenment programmes at the grassroots would depend largely on the capacity and efficiency of the heads of VEP departments in the states.
She described the participants as key drivers of the commission’s voter education programmes and said the implementation meeting was designed to provide clarity, direction and uniformity in the execution of approved activities.
Eta-Messi said the conclusion of the recent off-cycle governorship elections had shifted the commission’s focus squarely to preparations for the 2027 general elections.
“The off-cycle governorship elections are out of the way, and 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 explained that the meeting would enable the two departments to familiarise participants with commission-approved activities, outline implementation strategies and ensure that timelines, responsibilities and expectations were clearly understood.
“This meeting will therefore provide a platform for both departments to walk participants through the commission approved activities, highlight the strategies for implementation, and ensure that the timelines and expectations are clearly understood,” Eta-Messi said.
The discussions at the meeting reflect INEC’s recognition that effective electoral communication will be as important as technology and logistics in determining public confidence in the 2027 elections.
With the voter register expected to exceed 100 million, the commission faces the challenge of communicating consistently with an electorate spread across Nigeria’s diverse linguistic, cultural and geographic landscape.
The emphasis on simple language, continuous civic education, legal awareness, countering misinformation and improving access for vulnerable groups is therefore expected to form a major component of INEC’s public engagement strategy.
The commission is also expected to rely on its state-level structures to take voter education programmes to communities, particularly hard-to-reach areas and populations that may otherwise be excluded from electoral information.
