The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) are taking steps to enhance their collaboration in a bid to streamline identity and voter registration systems across Nigeria.
During a courtesy visit to INEC’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu commended the partnership between both institutions, highlighting its potential to significantly improve the nation’s electoral process.
He pointed out that the two agencies possess Nigeria’s most extensive biometric databases, INEC for voter records and NIMC for national identity management, underscoring the value of aligning these resources for broader civic benefits.
Looking to the future, Yakubu shared his expectations for more integrated electoral reforms through identity synchronization.
“We look forward to the day when your database will serve as the single source of truth for citizenship identification in Nigeria.
“When the time comes, the national register of voters may simply draw from the citizenship register, as is the case in many jurisdictions around the world,” he said.
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Yakubu noted that such integration could eventually pave the way for nationwide voting flexibility, enabling citizens to cast their ballots from any location, regardless of their original registration point—though he acknowledged this would require sustained collaboration.
As part of ongoing initiatives, NIMC is set to station personnel at select Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) centres operated by INEC across the country. This move will allow Nigerians who haven’t yet acquired their National Identification Number (NIN) to do so while registering to vote.
“This idea is to provide more Nigerians who are yet to enrol for the NIN the opportunity to do so.
“Working with NIMC, we carried out a pilot during the recent CVR in Anambra State from 8th to 20th July 2025. We are now set to scale it up nationwide,” the INEC chairman noted.
He mentioned that NIMC would soon release details on the CVR locations where its staff will be present, along with relevant registration guidelines.
Reaffirming the commission’s commitment to transparent and inclusive elections, Yakubu emphasized the importance of collaboration with national institutions.
“We welcome this partnership with NIMC, which is in keeping with our commitment to synergise with every national institution to strengthen electoral activities in Nigeria,” he said.
NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote also voiced her agency’s strong support for the joint effort, calling it a crucial step towards building a consolidated national identity system.
She emphasized that the initiative goes beyond elections, aiming to improve governance and ensure equitable access to services for all citizens.
“Our focus is integration, organisation, and trust. Working hand in hand with INEC, we are creating a system Nigerians can rely on, not just for elections, but for access to essential services nationwide,” she said.
INEC launched its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise on August 18, 2025. As of August 31, the commission reported that 2,532,062 Nigerians had completed the online pre-registration process.
In-person registration, which began on August 25, had reached 72,274 completed entries by August 29, including both new registrations and those finalizing their online submissions.
