The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed suggestions that Nigerians have lost confidence in the country’s electoral system, describing such claims as baseless and unsupported by facts.
Reacting to criticisms from civil society and religious groups, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, told Punch on Sunday that participation in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise shows citizens still believe in the process.
Oyekanmi said, “The notion that Nigerians have lost confidence in the electoral process is more of a myth than a reality, as those who proclaim it lack convincing evidence to support it.
“On the contrary, the high level of participation by Nigerians, especially the youths, in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration, which began on August 18, shows that citizens still have confidence in the process.”
Naijaonpoint reports that INEC launched its online CVR portal on August 18, 2025. Within seven hours of its activation, 69,376 Nigerians had pre-registered, comprising 33,803 males and 35,573 females.
By August 24, the figure had surged to 1.37 million, and by September 1, it had reached 2.53 million. Five weeks later, as of September 21, no fewer than 5.38 million Nigerians had uploaded their details to the portal.
For the in-person phase, which began August 25, the commission recorded 764,695 completed registrations in one month, combining both online pre-registrants and physical registrants.
“There is no African country with these types of voter registration figures within one month,” Oyekanmi maintained.
He reminded registrants that completion of registration requires physical appearance at designated centres for biometrics, as stipulated in Sections 9(7) and 10(2) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“All those who pre-registered online must complete their registration by physically appearing at their preferred centre,” he said.
Reflecting on the 2023 polls, Oyekanmi said the outcome was proof of progress in Nigeria’s electoral system.
“The 2023 general election, more than any other election, demonstrates this fact. The election produced the most diverse National Assembly since the restoration of democracy in 1999,” he noted.
According to him, seven political parties secured Senate seats and eight parties gained representation in the House of Representatives, while nine parties won seats in State Assemblies.
“In gubernatorial elections, APC won 16 states, PDP 10, LP one, and NNPP one,” he added.
The CPS also faulted what he described as contradictions among some critics of the commission.
“Ironically, some of the most ardent critics of INEC are also in the forefront of calling for electoral reform to transfer Local Government elections to the same commission. Surely, they cannot continue to walk on both sides of the road,” he said.
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