The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned that the planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), less than 10 months to the 2027 general elections, could lead to voter apathy and unfairly exclude those unable to travel for the exercise.
The Secretary to INEC, Dr Rose Oriaran-Anthony, had, in a memo to the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) dated March 2, 2026, said the commission has approved a nationwide voters revalidation exercise.
But ADC, in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the exercise could be a recipe for chaos, capable of disenfranchising millions of Nigerians during the elections.
The party noted that many people had already found it difficult to register to vote in the first place, and to now require them to return and revalidate their registration would create more problems for them.
“INEC must clearly explain what happens to Nigerians who, for valid reasons, are unable to travel for this exercise.
“Are they to lose their right to vote simply because they cannot make it back to designated centres within a narrow window?” ADC asked.
According to the party, at a time when voter apathy is already a major challenge, any policy that adds new barriers to participation will only suppress turnout further.
“And when turnout is suppressed, the credibility of the electoral process is inevitably called into question,” it added.
ADC said the only beneficiary of such confusion is the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but warned that no matter its stated intentions, INEC must be careful not to lend itself to accusations of helping the ruling party rig the elections before the votes are even cast.
“The commission’s credibility rests not just on what it does, but on how its actions are perceived by Nigerians,” ADC said.
It is described as troubling that such a significant national exercise is only coming to public attention through a leaked memo, allegedly just days before implementation.
“For an exercise of this magnitude, Nigerians deserve transparency, not ambiguity,” the party stated, suggesting that such a revalidation exercise should have been conducted immediately after the last election, and not on the eve of another.
ADC advised the commission to abandon the plan and reassure Nigerians that no policy would be introduced at this critical time that could disenfranchise voters or undermine confidence in the electoral process.
“Nigeria’s democracy cannot afford avoidable disruptions. The right to vote must not be subjected to last-minute administrative experiments,” the party demanded.
