Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the ongoing voter registration exercise, arguing that doing so would allow more eligible Nigerians, particularly young people, to participate in the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the appeal in a post shared on his official X account on Thursday, where he urged the electoral umpire to keep the registration process open until the latest practicable date that would still permit the compilation of a credible voters’ register.
“As we continue to encourage Nigerians to participate actively in our democracy, I respectfully appeal to INEC to consider extending the voter registration window to the latest practical date that still allows adequate time for the preparation of a credible voters’ register before the 2027 general elections,” he wrote.
The former Anambra State governor stressed that thousands of Nigerians attain the voting age of 18 every day and should not be denied the opportunity to register simply because the exercise closes too early.
“Every day, more young Nigerians attain the age of 18 and become constitutionally eligible to vote. They are not just our future; they are stakeholders in our present. It would be unfortunate if many of them were denied the opportunity to exercise their civic responsibility simply because the registration process closed long before the elections,” Obi stated.
Backing his position with a legal precedent, Obi referenced a Federal High Court judgment delivered on November 22, 2022, in the case of Anaja Salmat & 3 Others v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/2022).
According to him, the court held that voter registration should continue until 90 days before a general election in order to safeguard the constitutional voting rights of eligible Nigerians.
“Moreover, this position is legally supported by the High Court judgment delivered on 22 November 2022 in Anaja Salmat & 3 Others v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/2022). In that decision, the Federal High Court held that voter registration should continue until 90 days before a general election to protect the constitutional voting rights of eligible Nigerians,” he said.
Obi acknowledged the responsibility placed on INEC to conduct credible elections and recognised the need for adequate time to clean up the voters’ register and complete other logistical preparations.
“I appreciate the enormous responsibility placed on INEC to deliver free, fair, and credible elections. I also recognise the need for sufficient time to clean the register and make the necessary logistical preparations. However, our electoral process should, as much as possible, maximise participation rather than limit it,” he added.
He further maintained that expanding access to voter registration would strengthen Nigeria’s democracy by ensuring that every qualified citizen has the opportunity to participate in the electoral process.
“A democracy is strengthened when every eligible citizen has the opportunity to be heard. I therefore urge INEC to adopt a registration timeline that protects the integrity of the process while ensuring that no eligible Nigerian, especially our young people, is unnecessarily disenfranchised,” Obi said.