Joseph Bakare
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has declared that the newly signed National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 lays the foundation for a new electoral system in Nigeria, one built on verified identity, reduced duplication and stronger data integrity ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Prof. Amupitan made this declaration on Wednesday, 15th July, 2026, while receiving the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team on a courtesy visit to the INEC Headquarters in Abuja.
Describing the moment as historic, the INEC Chairman likened the passage of the Act, nearly two decades in the making, to the birth of a child, noting that “when a new baby is born, there must always be a naming ceremony.” He said the occasion effectively marked the christening of NIMC’s transformation from a registration body into what he called a sovereign digital authority with reach across the economy, commerce, land administration, and Nigeria’s electoral ecosystem.
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.
He recalled that he had personally raised the need for stronger identity safeguards during an appearance before the Senate of the National Assembly, and commended the National Assembly for providing what he described as the legislative leeway 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 on the voter register.
He noted that INEC’s newly introduced online voter registration platform is deliberately anchored on the National Identification Number (NIN) as a verification protocol, describing it as a critical step toward a more seamless Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process. He further disclosed that, pursuant to Section 18 of the Electoral Act, INEC has made provision for citizens whose Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been defaced, destroyed or rendered illegible to obtain replacements, including printable PVCs for cases reported at least 90 days before an election, to ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised.
Touching on the state of the voter register, the Chairman revealed that entries belonging to Nigerians who died as far back as 2011 remain on INEC’s records, alongside cases of duplication, adding that the Commission looks forward to leveraging NIMC’s data architecture to progressively clean up the register. He explained that a credible, well-quantified voter register would significantly reduce the overall cost of conducting elections, noting that INEC currently has to print materials in excess of the more than 100 million entries on its register to accommodate discrepancies. He added that a comprehensive quantification exercise is planned for after the general election.
The INEC Chairman also flagged the emerging role of artificial intelligence in electoral operations, describing the technology as powerful but requiring deliberate control and protocols to safeguard the efficiency and credibility of data systems, a concern he said would form part of continued collaboration between the two commissions.
Commending the NIMC leadership for what he called the “ruggedness” of effort behind the passage of the Act, Prof. Amupitan disclosed that technical teams from both commissions have already begun engaging on the identified areas of collaboration, with INEC’s team on standby to work faster and maximise outcomes ahead of the 2027 polls. He described the partnership as a “digital trust network” capable of reinforcing confidence not only in Nigeria’s identity ecosystem but also in the work of the Electoral Commission.
Earlier in her remarks, the NIMC Director-General, Engr. Coker-Odusote, informed the INEC leadership that the NIMC Act 2026 was signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on 26 June 2026, following nearly two decades of legislative reform. She explained that the new Act repositions NIMC as the root authority for Nigeria’s Public Key Infrastructure, describing this as the bedrock of digital trust, and formally the home of the country’s digital public infrastructure.
She assured that identity remains the foundation of effective governance and credible election planning, pledging NIMC’s full support to INEC in delivering a fair and transparent 2027 General Election.
A member of the NIMC delegation, Director of the Strategic Program Office, Dr. Alvan Ikoku, subsequently took the INEC management team through the expanded functions and powers conferred on NIMC under the new Act.
The courtesy visit was attended by National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, Directors, and Technical Aides to the INEC Chairman and management staff of both INEC and NIMC.