The Executive Director of the Centre for Responsive Governance, Ayodeji Ologun, has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for bringing its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to an end, arguing that a process described as “continuous” should not have a closing date.
Speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM in Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, on Monday, Ologun described the commission’s approach as inconsistent with the concept of continuous registration and urged a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s voter registration system.
According to him, eligible Nigerians should be able to register to vote throughout the year without restrictions, particularly those who attain the age of 18.
“It is illegal. It is unfair that you call something continuous voter registration and then you put a peg on it and say it has closed. What justifies the use of the word ‘continuous’?” he said.
INEC had extended the nationwide CVR exercise by two weeks, shifting the deadline from July 10 to July 26, 2026, following pressure from civil society organisations and a surge in last-minute applications ahead of the 2027 general elections. After the extension expired, the commission closed both its online registration portal and physical registration centres, maintaining that no further extension would be granted.
The electoral body explained that the decision was in line with Section 17 of the Electoral Act 2022, which requires voter registration to be suspended at least 90 days before a general election. It also cited the need to clean the voter register, eliminate duplicate registrations and prepare Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for distribution before the polls.
However, Ologun insisted that the registration system remains outdated, arguing that the closure was driven largely by operational constraints rather than the needs of voters.
He noted that the same personnel responsible for voter registration are often redeployed to conduct elections, making it difficult for INEC to sustain registration year-round.
“We are living an archaic system in Nigeria. Voter registration should not have an opening day or a closing day. The reason it closes is because the same officials handling registration are the ones INEC wants to use for elections,” he said.
While acknowledging that the latest CVR exercise lasted nearly a year—from August 2025 to July 2026—and was the longest registration period since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, Ologun argued that the extended timeline did little to address declining public participation.
According to him, repeated extensions of the exercise reflected growing voter apathy rather than increased civic engagement.
He warned that low voter participation could allow a minority of the population to determine the country’s leadership.
“When voters become unwilling to participate in the electoral process, it means the worst of us may end up ruling the rest of us because only a minority will decide who leads the nation,” he said.
Ologun also advocated a technology-driven registration process that would allow Nigerians to register online from their homes, upload the required information and choose where to collect their PVCs or have them delivered directly.
He argued that advances already made in passport processing demonstrate that such a system is achievable.
The governance advocate further called for greater integration of government databases, saying information already captured through the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) should be sufficient for voter registration and other public services.
According to him, a unified national database would reduce duplication and make the registration process more efficient.
Commenting on PVC distribution, Ologun cited reports from Osun State where gunmen allegedly attacked a PVC collection centre shortly after distribution commenced, raising concerns about the security of electoral materials.
He questioned how INEC would invalidate the stolen PVCs before the next election to prevent potential misuse.
Ologun also identified several factors contributing to voter apathy, including insecurity, migration, uncollected PVCs and the challenges faced by students who register while in school but later struggle to retrieve their voter cards or vote after relocating.
He maintained that the true measure of the electoral process should not be the number of registered voters but the number of citizens who actually cast ballots on election day.
According to him, despite millions of eligible Nigerians, voter registration and turnout remain significantly below expectations.
He claimed that while more than 80 million Nigerians are eligible to vote, fewer than 45 million are currently registered, with less than half of registered voters eventually participating in elections.
Ologun urged INEC and other stakeholders to adopt reforms that would simplify voter registration, improve access to PVCs and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
