INEC dismisses claims of irregularities in Osun voter pre-registration figures

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has debunked allegations that the number of online pre-registrants in Osun State “defies historical patterns and demographic realities,” insisting that there is nothing unusual about the figures.

Reacting to a statement credited to the African Democratic Congress ADC, INEC said the claims were misleading and not backed by facts.

“There is nothing extra-ordinary about the online pre-registration data released by the Commission. Nothing can be further from the truth”, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, said in a statement on Thursday.

He explained that the Commission launched the current Continuous Voter Registration CVR exercise on August 18, 2025, with online pre-registration, followed by in-person registration on August 25.

According to him, INEC released figures for the first week, showing a total of 1,379,342 online pre-registrants nationwide.

“Osun State led with 393,269 registrants, followed by Lagos State with 222,205, while the Federal Capital Territory was third with 107,682,” Oyekanmi noted.

He stressed that Osun’s leading numbers were not unprecedented, pointing to the 2021 CVR exercise when the state consistently topped registration charts.

“Within the first 24 hours of launching the portal on 28th June 2021, 59,331 accounts were created. By the second week on 12th July 2021, Osun led with 154,893 pre-registrations.

“By the eighth week on 23rd August 2021, Osun still led with 365,412. At the conclusion of the exercise in April 2022, Osun was ahead of all states with 708,782 registrations”, he stated.

The INEC spokesperson faulted the political party for not verifying its claims. “If the party were proactive enough, a simple search of past records already in the public domain would have revealed these facts,” he said.

Oyekanmi further explained that every online pre-registrant must still appear in person for biometric capture, and that the Commission uses its Automated Biometric Identification System ABIS to detect and eliminate multiple or fake registrations.

“Throughout the last CVR exercise, the Commission displayed the preliminary register for claims and objections, while applying due diligence to ensure only eligible voters were included. After these processes, over 9.4 million new voters were added to the register, bringing the total to 93,469,008 for the 2023 general election”, he said.

INEC maintained that it is not its responsibility to speculate on why one state records more registrants than others, but assured Nigerians of its commitment to transparency.

“Our duty as a Commission, which we take seriously, is to ensure that only real persons who meet the criteria stipulated in the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022 are allowed to register,” Oyekanmi stressed.

He urged political actors and citizens to rely on verified data from INEC’s official sources rather than peddle unfounded conjectures.

“The Commission will continue to provide timely updates on the progress of the current CVR. We appeal to all well-meaning citizens to be circumspect in going public with information when authentic and verifiable data is readily available,” Oyekanmi said.

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