The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has declared that the newly signed National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026, lays the foundation for a new electoral system in Nigeria, built on verified identity, reduced duplication and stronger data integrity ahead of the 2027 general election.
Prof. Amupitan made this known while receiving the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team during a courtesy visit to the INEC Headquarters in Abuja.
Describing the moment as historic, the INEC Chairman said the Act marked NIMC’s transformation from a registration body into a sovereign digital authority with a key role across the economy, land administration and Nigeria’s electoral system.
The INEC Chairman was candid about the identity-related challenges that have long confronted the Commission, noting that voter identity “can easily be stolen, easily be impersonated, easily be duplicated.”
He expressed confidence that the new legal framework, and the technology behind it, would make such infractions far easier to detect and address.
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He recalled that he had personally raised the need for stronger identity safeguards during an appearance before the Senate and commended the National Assembly for providing what he described as the legislative framework now serving as the foundation for a more credible electoral system.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that, with NIMC’s database now covering more than 136 million enrolled Nigerians, deeper cross-platform integration between the two commissions would allow for continuous auditing, verification and elimination of duplicate or underage entries from the voter register.
The INEC Chairman said the Commission’s online voter registration platform is anchored on the National Identification Number (NIN) to strengthen voter verification and improve the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process. He noted that eligible voters with damaged or lost PVCs can obtain replacements, including printable PVCs, in line with the Electoral Act.
Prof Amupitan said the Commission would leverage NIMC’s data infrastructure to remove duplicate and deceased voters from the register, noting that a more accurate voter database would reduce election costs.
He noted that a comprehensive voter register audit would be conducted after the general election, adding that artificial intelligence could strengthen electoral operations but stressed the need for safeguards to protect the integrity and credibility of data systems through continued collaboration between the two commissions.
NIMC Director-General, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the NIMC Act 2026, signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, repositions the Commission as Nigeria’s root authority for digital identity infrastructure.
She pledged NIMC’s full support to INEC in delivering credible 2027 elections, while Director of the Strategic Programme Office, Dr Alvan Ikoku, briefed the Commission on the Act’s expanded provisions.
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