2027: INEC must use existing voters register — Okoye

Former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Festus Okoye, has stated that the commission has no option but to utilize the existing voters’ register for the upcoming 2027 elections, despite concerns about its credibility. Okoye, however, emphasized the need to create a new biometric voters’ register immediately following the elections, describing the current database as opaque and lacking in credibility.

He made these remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, responding to questions about measures to instill confidence in the election’s voters’ register. Okoye acknowledged that there was little that could be done to address the issues before the next elections, asserting that the country would have to proceed with the current register.

He further explained that the solution lies in conducting a fresh biometric registration exercise right after the 2027 general elections. Okoye asserted that the present voters’ register is not transparent and cannot be considered clean or genuine, but it remains the only option for the upcoming elections. He concluded by emphasizing the necessity of a new biometric voters’ register after the elections.