INEC suspends voter revalidation exercise following widespread criticism over timing

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has directed all Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) across the country to suspend arrangements for the planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise.

The directive was contained in a letter dated April 4, 2026, signed by the commission’s secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and addressed to electoral commissioners in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

According to the letter, RECs were instructed to immediately halt all publicity and logistical preparations related to the exercise and await further directives from the commission.

The voter revalidation exercise had earlier been scheduled to commence on April 13 as part of efforts to update and strengthen Nigeria’s voter register ahead of future elections.

INEC had explained that the exercise was designed to verify the details of registered voters and clean up the national voter database.

The process was expected to help identify and remove irregular entries such as duplicate registrations, deceased persons, underage voters, and non-citizens from the electoral roll.

The commission also clarified earlier that the exercise was not intended to replace voter registration but rather to validate existing records and ensure the credibility of the voters’ register.

Before the suspension, the exercise had been scheduled to take place in phases across the country.

The first phase was planned to begin at the local government level before moving to registration areas, also known as wards, and eventually reaching polling units nationwide.

INEC had indicated that the process could run for several weeks as officials worked to review records across thousands of polling units.

However, the sudden directive to suspend preparations has temporarily halted the process. The commission has not publicly provided a detailed explanation for the decision.

In the same communication, the electoral body informed RECs that a physical meeting earlier scheduled to hold on April 9 would now take place virtually via Zoom.

Resident Electoral Commissioners were also asked to remain in their respective states while awaiting further instructions from the commission.

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The voter revalidation exercise had been viewed as an important step in preparing Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the next general election cycle.

For now, the exercise remains on hold as the commission reviews the next steps for the planned nationwide verification of voter records.