{
  "id": 16077272,
  "title": "Atiku Demands Publication of 103m Voters’ Register Ahead of 2027 Election",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/atiku-demands-publication-of-103m-voters-register-ahead-of-2027",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T17:09:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/10/22/atiku-demands-publication-of-103m-voters-register-ahead-of-2027-election/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Vice President and presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate release of Nigeria's preliminary voters' register by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general election. Atiku expressed concerns over the credibility of INEC's preparations for the election, as the register was not accessible during the public scrutiny period of October 9 to 15, despite INEC's announcement of over 103 million registered voters. The ADC Presidential Campaign Council Director, Phrank Shaibu, stated that the lack of access to the register raised questions about transparency and the voters' ability to identify errors. Atiku pointed to Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which mandates the display of the voters' register at registration sites and online for public scrutiny. He also questioned the conflicting statements regarding the display of the register, as INEC's chairman claimed it had been completed on October 5, while INEC informed the public that it would occur between October 9 and 15. Atiku demanded that INEC disclose the dates, links, and records of access to the register. Concerns were raised about Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which permits a returning officer to count a ballot paper without INEC's official mark if satisfied it came from a supplied book. Atiku questioned the safeguards for verifying the origin of such ballot papers and preventing electoral fraud, urging INEC to establish enforceable safeguards against counterfeit ballots and for the National Assembly to close any loopholes that leave the authenticity of a vote to an officer's unsupported assurance.",
  "summary": "Former Vice President and ADC Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has demanded the immediate publication of the preliminary voters’ register by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), questioning the credibility of",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "‘Enough of the excuses’ — Atiku’s aide challenges INEC over 2023 election",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/enough-of-the-excuses-atikus-aide-challenges-inec-over-2023-election",
        "published": "2026-10-22T13:23:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Atiku demands publication of 103 million voters’ register ahead of 2027 election",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/atiku-demands-publication-of-103-million-voters-register-ahead-of",
        "published": "2026-10-22T16:36:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}