INEC rules out extension of 2026 voter registration exercise

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which ended on July 26, 2026, will not be extended.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Wilfred Ifogah, made this known during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

According to Ifogah, the commission has exhausted every available option and cannot prolong the registration exercise beyond the deadline already announced.

He explained that INEC had previously granted a two-week extension to enable more eligible Nigerians to register, but noted that any further delay would disrupt the commission’s timetable for preparing the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ifogah stressed that extending the registration period again would place additional pressure on the electoral body and affect its readiness for the upcoming polls.

“There’s just nothing we could do. From our timetable and activities, we need about 75 days plus to get these registers prepared right from when we stopped the registration.

“Just by way of background information. This exercise did not start this year. It was actually last year in August, precisely on the 18th with the online pre-registration, and thereafter on the 25th of August, the in-person registration kicked off.

“Actually, for not less than 340 days now, we’ve been on this programme with periodic suspension in order to create room for display of the registers for claims and objection.

“So we’ve had three phases now. So the last phase was the one we just had. We started actually in April and ended. It was supposed to have ended July 10th, but then due to the outcry of people not being able to complete their registration, an extension came up, and the extension didn’t just come like that.

“There was also an addition in the sense that the portal was upgraded, so that those registering for the very first time would as well do self-service, start online, and complete their registration online.

“So as it is, there will be no extension because in August, the display of this register will commence so that the public can actually scrutinize what we have done thereafter,” he said.

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