The Independent National Electoral Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission following the enactment of the National Identity Management Commission Act, 2026.
INEC said the development represents a major milestone in efforts to strengthen electoral integrity through secure digital identity verification.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, stated this on Wednesday while receiving the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and members of her management team during a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by INEC, Amupitan said closer cooperation between both agencies would improve identity verification, reduce electoral fraud and support the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections.
He noted that identity verification remains critical to ongoing electoral reforms, especially as Nigeria continues to deploy technology to improve the credibility of elections through tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
“Closer cooperation between the two agencies would improve identity verification processes, reduce electoral fraud and support the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections,” Amupitan said.
On her part, Coker-Odusote said the newly enacted NIMC Act, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on June 26, 2026, marks a historic transformation of Nigeria’s identity management system after nearly two decades of reforms.
She said the new law elevates NIMC from being merely a custodian of Nigeria’s identity database to becoming the country’s foundational digital identity authority.
According to her, the Act makes NIMC the home of Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure and Root Public Key Infrastructure, which provide the digital trust framework for secure transactions and governance.
“The newly enacted NIMC Act, signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on June 26, 2026, marks a historic transformation of the Commission after nearly two decades of reforms,” she said.
“The new law elevates NIMC from being merely a custodian of Nigeria’s identity database to the nation’s foundational digital identity authority, making it the home of Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure and Root Public Key Infrastructure, which provides the digital trust framework for secure transactions and governance.”
Coker-Odusote added that the reforms would strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy, reduce fraud, simplify access to public and private services and improve the integrity of the electoral process through stronger identity verification systems.
She said NIMC is prepared to support INEC in delivering credible elections, stressing that identity remains central to effective governance and transparent electoral processes.
“NIMC is ready to support INEC in delivering free, fair and transparent elections because identity remains the foundation of effective governance and credible electoral processes,” she said.
The renewed partnership comes amid Federal Government efforts to deepen digital governance and modernise public institutions through integrated identity management systems.
Officials expressed confidence that stronger collaboration between INEC and NIMC would enhance transparency, improve public service delivery and reinforce confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
The post “INEC, NIMC Strengthen Partnership On Digital Identity Verification” — Amupitan Says Collaboration Will Reduce Electoral Fraud, Boost Poll Credibility appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
