The Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) led by Prof. Pat Utomi, said the proposed voter revalidation exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could threaten the 2027 general elections.
The group in a statement by its head of national secretariat, Olawale Okunniyi, noted that although the aim is to sanitise the voters’ register, it is ill-timed and “operationally disruptive.”
It argued that at a time when Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is ongoing across the country, “introducing an additional layer of voter revalidation reflects poor sequencing of electoral processes and raises serious concerns about the sincerity, intention and agenda of the commission.”
The movement observed that the proposed exercise is coming far too late in the electoral cycle, pointing out that the 2027 general elections is less than nine months away.
“Such a massive undertaking will inevitably overlap with other critical pre-election activities, including logistics planning, staff training, voter education, and election deployment frameworks.
“This risks overburdening the commission and undermining its overall capacity to deliver credible elections if indeed the commission is genuine,” it warned.
MCE also expressed fears that the exercise could be manipulated, resulting in “selective disenfranchisement.”
According to the movement, some unscrupulous elements within or around the system might exploit the process to suppress voter strength in certain regions under the pretense that affected citizens failed to revalidate.
“In a politically sensitive environment, such a mechanism could become a tool for engineered voter suppression and exclusion,” it further warned.
The movement said the exercise might deepen voter apathy and distrust, noting that Nigerians who are already disillusioned by previous electoral experiences might interpret the revalidation as deliberate attempt to complicate their participation in the democratic process.
The movement also questioned the level of awareness for the exercise, stating that embarking on such exercise at a time when public confidence in INEC is already low, could deepen suspicion and alienation among the electorate.
It added that such exercise without public enlightenment risks further delegitimising the ongoing electoral process.
The MCE also drew the INEC’s attention to the electoral laws, which provide for a period during which citizens can raise claims and objections after the publication of the voters’ register, adding that the compressed timeline between the proposed revalidation register and the final register raises serious doubts about whether this constitutional safeguard could be meaningfully exercised.
“A rushed process will inevitably compromise the integrity of the register,” it warned.
It noted INEC has consistently undertaken periodic clean-up of the voters’ register, including removal of duplicates, deceased persons, and correction of anomalies, without requiring citizens to undergo a fresh revalidation process.
According to the MCE, the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is meant to be enduring, adding that introducing revalidation at this stage contradicts established practice and raises questions about the commission’s consistency and institutional memory.
The movement therefore called on the commission to suspend the proposed exercise, stating that electoral credibility is built on transparency, predictability, inclusiveness, and trust.
“Any process that introduces uncertainty, opacity, or potential disenfranchisement and exclusion is anti-democratic and can not be respected by citizens.
“Nigeria’s democracy cannot afford another burdensome and shady experiment at this critical juncture.”The integrity of the voters’ register must not be compromised by wrongly timed and manipulable interventions,” it added.