(INEC. Photo Credit: Daily Post)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any further extension of the voter registration exercise, which closed on July 26, 2026.
Speaking during an interview on a television politics programme on Monday, INEC spokesperson, Wilfred Ifogah, said the commission had no room to extend the exercise further, noting that even the two-week extension earlier granted had already put pressure on the commission’s preparations for the election.
He explained that based on the commission’s timetable, at least 75 days are required to properly prepare the voter register from the point registration is stopped.
Giving some background, he noted that the exercise did not begin this year but started in August of the previous year, with online pre-registration commencing on the 18th, followed by in-person registration on the 25th of that month.
He said the programme has now run for not less than 340 days, with periodic suspensions built in to allow for the display of the register for claims and objections.
According to him, the exercise has gone through three phases, with the most recent phase having started in April and originally scheduled to end on July 10.
However, an extension was granted following public complaints that many people were unable to complete their registration within the initial timeline.
He added that the extension also came with an upgrade to the registration portal, allowing first-time registrants to complete the process entirely online through self-service.
He maintained that there would be no further extension, noting that the display of the register would begin in August to allow members of the public to scrutinise the work done so far.