The presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Peter Obi, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the ongoing voter registration exercise to allow more eligible Nigerians, particularly newly-turned adults, to register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi urged INEC in a statement he shared on X on Thursday to consider pushing the registration deadline to “the latest practical date” that still allows enough time to prepare a credible voters’ register before the polls.
He noted that young Nigerians turn 18 every day and become constitutionally eligible to vote, describing them as key stakeholders in the country’s democracy.
“They are not just our future; they are stakeholders in our present,” he said, warning that it would be “unfortunate” if many of them were shut out of the process simply because registration closed too early.
Obi anchored his appeal on a Federal High Court judgment delivered on 22 November 2022 in the case of Anaja Salmat & 3 Others v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/2022).
According to him, the court held that voter registration should continue until 90 days to a general election, in order to protect the constitutional voting rights of eligible citizens.
While acknowledging the scale of INEC’s responsibility to deliver a credible election, Obi said the commission also needs adequate time to clean up the voters’ register and complete logistical preparations.
He argued, however, that the electoral process “should, as much as possible, maximise participation rather than limit it.”
He added that democracy is strengthened when every eligible citizen has a chance to be heard, and called on INEC to adopt a timeline that balances the integrity of the process with the need to prevent the disenfranchisement of young Nigerians.
