Atiku Accuses INEC Of Hiding Voters’ Register, Questions Credibility Of 2027 Poll
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of failing to put the preliminary voters’ register on its online portal during the October 9 to 15 display period, and says the omission casts serious doubt on the integrity of the 2027 election.
In a statement issued on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, the former vice president said Nigerians who visited the portal to check their names found an empty page.
He argued that INEC’s announcement of more than 103 million registered voters cannot substitute for the actual list, since a figure cannot help a voter find out whether her name was omitted.
Atiku cited Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which he said requires the register to be displayed both at registration areas and online. “INEC does not get to treat that requirement as optional,” he said.
He also pointed to what he described as conflicting accounts from the commission. According to him, INEC’s chairman reportedly said on October 5 that the public display had already been completed, yet Nigerians were later told it would run from October 9 to 15.
He asked which statement was true and demanded that INEC produce the dates, links and access records showing where and when the register was published.
The former vice president further raised concerns about Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which allows a returning officer to count a ballot paper lacking INEC’s official mark if satisfied that it came from a book supplied to the polling unit.
He asked what evidence would establish such an origin, who would verify it and how parties could challenge a false claim.
He urged INEC to set out enforceable safeguards against counterfeit ballots and called on the National Assembly to close any loophole that leaves the authenticity of a vote to an officer’s unsupported assurance.
The statement noted that INEC has yet to respond to inquiries about which companies were awarded contracts to print sensitive election materials.
It added that the ADC and its candidate, as stakeholders in the presidential election, have the right to demand transparency from the umpire on the protocols that will guide the poll.
Addressing President Bola Tinubu directly, Atiku said Nigerians are struggling to afford food and many fear for their lives and livelihoods.
He said Tinubu would not be allowed to add “an unseen voters’ register” to their hardship and present it as a path to another four years in office.
He said Nigerians have the right to inspect the register, challenge false entries and correct omissions, and that the ADC would challenge any denial of that right in the open and through every lawful means.
Atiku demanded that INEC publish the register by local government, area council and ward, explain the conflicting dates, and give voters the full opportunity the law provides to challenge false entries and restore omitted names.
He warned that anything less would undermine the credibility of the 2027 election.
He also appealed to Nigeria’s international partners, election observers and democratic institutions to press the commission publicly to comply with the law, and to ask how every ballot paper will be authenticated, rather than waiting until election day.
“The right to vote begins with the right to know that your name is on the list,” he said, urging INEC to publish the register, open it to scrutiny and answer the country.
