The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) are strengthening their partnership to harmonise identity and voter registration processes across Nigeria.
During a courtesy visit to INEC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, commended the ongoing collaboration between the two agencies, noting its potential to transform Nigeria’s electoral system.
Yakubu highlighted that INEC and NIMC currently hold the country’s largest biometric databases—INEC for electoral purposes and NIMC for citizenship identification. He expressed optimism that integrating both systems could lay the foundation for far-reaching electoral reforms.
“We look forward to the day when your database will serve as the single source of truth for citizenship identification in Nigeria. When the time comes, the national register of voters may simply draw from the citizenship register, as is the case in many jurisdictions worldwide,” he said.
According to Yakubu, such integration could eventually allow Nigerians to vote from any location in the country, regardless of their initial place of registration—an ambitious but achievable vision that would require close and sustained cooperation.
Pilot Project to Go Nationwide
As part of current efforts, NIMC will deploy officials to selected INEC Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) centres nationwide. This will enable Nigerians without a National Identification Number (NIN) to obtain one while registering to vote.
Yakubu revealed that a pilot initiative was successfully conducted in Anambra State between July 8 and 20, 2025, and is now set for nationwide rollout.
NIMC will soon publish the list of CVR centres where its officials will be present, along with guidelines for the combined registration exercise.
“This idea is to provide more Nigerians who are yet to enrol for the NIN the opportunity to do so while registering as voters,” Yakubu added.
NIMC’s Commitment
Speaking during the visit, the Director-General of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to the partnership, describing it as pivotal to establishing a unified identity system for Nigerians.
“Our focus is integration, organisation, and trust. Working hand in hand with INEC, we are creating a system Nigerians can rely on, not just for elections, but for access to essential services nationwide,” she said.
Current CVR Statistics
INEC commenced the ongoing nationwide CVR on August 18, 2025. As of August 31, a total of 2,532,062 Nigerians had pre-registered online. In-person registration began on August 25, with 72,274 individuals completing their enrolment by August 29, either by finalising online pre-registration or through fresh registration.
Yakubu reiterated INEC’s determination to work with relevant national institutions to strengthen electoral integrity and expand citizen participation.
