The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has come under fire from opposition parties following the release of new Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) data, which shows that Osun State recorded nearly 400,000 registrations in just one week.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) described the figures as “statistically impossible” and demanded a forensic audit. Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, said, “By some miracle, nearly 20 percent of all eligible adults in Osun have rushed to register. This is unusual and implausible.”
The Labour Party also criticized the commission. Tony Akeni, its Interim National Publicity Secretary, argued, “We are tired of INEC’s shenanigans. Nigerians should be vigilant as we prepare for the 2027 elections.”
In contrast, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) defended the electoral body, urging caution. Its spokesperson Ejimofor Opara said, “INEC credibility is not in doubt. Figures don’t lie.”
Reactions in Osun were divided. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the numbers could reflect voter enthusiasm, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) insisted only INEC could provide clarification.
INEC defended itself through its Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, who said, “Nothing can be further from the truth. The data is consistent with historical records from the 2021/2022 exercise.”
He pointed out that Osun also led registration figures in 2021, with over 708,000 completed pre-registrations. He assured that only genuine registrants would be added after biometric verification.
Frontpagenews.ng reports that INEC reiterated its commitment to transparency, emphasizing its quarterly display of voter registers for claims and objections as well as the use of Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to detect multiple registrations.
