2027 Opposition Parties Challenge INEC Over Voter Data Surge

Opposition parties and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have raised alarms over alleged irregularities in the ongoing voters pre registration figures, pointing to unusually high numbers from the South West and especially Osun State. The Independent National Electoral Commission says the pattern is consistent with past cycles and not unusual. Forensic experts say they are ready to help review the data. The ruling APC had yet to comment at press time.

INEC says Osun spike is consistent with history

INEC’s Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said there is nothing extraordinary about the first week of the current Continuous Voter Registration which opened online on August 18 2025 and moved to in person registration on August 25.

He noted that week one produced 1,379,342 online pre registrants nationwide, with Osun at 393,269, Lagos at 222,205 and the FCT at 107,682.

Citing the last CVR cycle, he recalled that within 24 hours of the portal launch on June 28 2021, 59,331 accounts were created. By July 21 2021 Osun led with 154,893 pre registrations, and by August 23 2021 it still led with 365,412. At the close of that exercise in April 2022, Osun topped all states with 708,782 registrations.

INEC added that over 9.4 million new voters were added after due diligence in the last cycle, bringing the register to 93,469,008 ahead of the 2023 general election. The commission pledged transparency and urged citizens to rely on verifiable data.

ADC warns of danger to 2027 polls

The African Democratic Congress called the Osun numbers statistically implausible, noting Osun’s 393,269 pre registrations in one week exceed the 275,815 new voters recorded between 2019 and 2023. The party said the South West logged 848,359 pre registrations or 67 percent of the national total, while the South East had 1,998 and five states Ebonyi Imo Enugu Abia and Adamawa combined for 4,153.

ADC demanded a forensic audit of week one data with a state by state breakdown for online and physical enrollment, plus release of server logs, bandwidth allocation and regional access reports. It urged international attention to prevent possible manipulation.

Labour Party flags bias concerns

The Labour Party said claims that INEC is favoring states seen as APC strongholds are yet to be refuted and urged nationwide vigilance. It warned against a repeat of past register controversies, referencing notorious instances where clearly fictitious names appeared. The party also questioned efforts to register inmates while many law abiding citizens still struggle to enroll and vote.

PDP cites weak institutions and anomalous numbers

The PDP described sharp disparities as a symptom of weak institutions vulnerable to political pressure. It pointed to one state recording nearly 400,000 new registrations in a week while several others barely totaled 4,500, calling the pattern illogical and demanding corrective action.

Atiku seeks probe and electoral law overhaul

Atiku Abubakar called for an immediate investigation into Osun’s figures to safeguard confidence ahead of 2027. He also urged amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act to mandate technology only processes. His proposals include compulsory BVAS accreditation and results upload, electronic transmission from polling units to iREV, collation strictly from electronically transmitted results, and a blanket end to manual accreditation transmission and collation. He further suggested democratizing the selection of the INEC Chairman Resident Electoral Commissioners and National Commissioners.

Forensic body offers technical support

The Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria said it stands ready to work with INEC to deploy technology and forensic methods to address disparities while avoiding partisan debates.