INEC Refutes ADC’s Allegations, Says Osun’s Voter Registration Numbers Are Not Unusual

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected allegations of irregularities in its ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, insisting that there is nothing “extraordinary” about the online pre-registration figures, particularly from Osun State.

The clarification came from Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday. His response followed concerns raised by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over what it described as suspicious registration numbers.

The ADC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, had questioned how Osun State could record nearly 400,000 new online registrations in just one week—surpassing the state’s total new voter registrations from the past four years combined. He also pointed out that the South West zone accounted for an “extraordinary 67 per cent” of all pre-registrations nationwide.

In response, Oyekanmi said the ADC’s claims were “further from the truth,” noting that Osun’s dominance in online registrations is consistent with historical trends. He cited data from the ongoing CVR exercise showing a total of 1,379,342 online pre-registrants within one week—led by Osun with 393,269, followed by Lagos with 222,205, and the FCT with 107,682.

Oyekanmi backed his claim with data from the 2021 CVR exercise, recalling that:

• Within 24 hours of launching the registration portal on June 28, 2021, 59,331 accounts were created.
• By the second week (July 12, 2021), 456,909 active accounts were recorded, with Osun leading at 154,893.
• In the third week, Osun had 232,880 out of 752,011 pre-registrations.
• By the eighth week (August 23, 2021), Osun was still in front with 365,412 out of 2.2 million total.
• In the 11th week (September 13, 2021), Osun topped with 402,619 of 2.95 million.
• As of April 18, 2022, Osun led with 708,782 out of 8.27 million total pre-registrations.

“These figures are publicly available, and a simple search of past records would have provided the political party with the facts,” Oyekanmi said.

He further explained that online pre-registration is only the first step, as all applicants must still complete in-person biometric verification at INEC centres. He emphasized the role of INEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) in detecting and eliminating duplicate registrations.

“After all the processes and due diligence, over 14 million Nigerians were added to the National Register of Voters for the 2019 General Election. The figure rose from almost 70 million to 84,004,084. Similarly, after the 2021/2022 CVR, over 9.4 million new voters were added, making a total of 93,469,008 ahead of the 2023 elections,” he said.

Oyekanmi stressed that INEC remains committed to registering only eligible Nigerians, regardless of state or region, as mandated by the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022. He urged political actors to rely on verifiable data rather than speculation.

ADC’s Abdullahi had earlier described the figures as inconsistent with past political engagement levels in Osun. He noted that the state recorded only 275,815 new voters between 2019 and 2023, and its highest voter turnout—823,124 votes—was during the 2022 governorship election.

He also highlighted regional disparities: “Across the six geopolitical zones, the South West alone accounted for 848,359 pre-registrations—67 per cent of the national total. In comparison, the entire South East had just 1,998.”

Abdullahi further revealed that three states—Osun, Lagos, and Ogun—represented 54.2 per cent of all online pre-registrations nationwide. Meanwhile, five states—Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu, Abia, and Adamawa—recorded a combined total of just 4,153, while the entire North East accounted for only 6.1 per cent.

He called on INEC to conduct a “full forensic audit” of the data, suggesting the possibility of a technical error or deliberate data manipulation. Abdullahi urged opposition parties and monitoring bodies to demand transparency and accountability from the commission.