By Ameh Gabriel
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will officially resume on August 18, 2025, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday following its weekly meeting, INEC disclosed that the exercise will begin with online pre-registration via its official portal, while in-person physical registration at designated centres will commence a week later on August 25, 2025.
Both online and physical registration processes will run concurrently for one year, concluding on August 30, 2026.
According to the Commission, the CVR will be conducted in 811 designated centres across the country, including all 774 Local Government Areas, as well as 37 State and FCT offices. Registration will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding national public holidays.
To ensure greater accessibility and ease for registrants, INEC announced the launch of a CVR Live Locator, which will help citizens find the registration centre closest to them. The locator will be activated on August 17, 2025, and can be accessed via https://cvr.inecnigeria.org/locator.
Additionally, the Commission has published a comprehensive 38-page document containing the addresses of all 811 physical registration centres. The document is now available on INEC’s website and official social media platforms for public awareness.
INEC also confirmed that dedicated phone numbers have been provided for each state to serve as help desks, assisting citizens with inquiries or challenges during the registration process.
Speaking on behalf of the Commission, Mr. Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, assured the public that the CVR process remains unchanged from the last exercise conducted in 2022.
He added that detailed guidelines, including video tutorials, will be released in the coming week to further educate the public on how to register.
In a related development, INEC revealed that it has received eight new letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties since its last update on July 23, 2025. This brings the total number of political party registration requests to 151.
The latest submissions, which include proposed names, acronyms, logos, headquarters addresses, and interim leadership structures, have been uploaded to INEC’s website and social media platforms to ensure transparency.
To manage the growing number of applications, the Commission has also developed a new online portal for political party registration and has commenced the shortlisting of associations that meet the required legal and administrative standards. However, it noted that full details of this shortlisting process will be made public after the conclusion of 16 scheduled bye-elections in 12 states on Saturday, August 16, 2025.
INEC reiterated its commitment to transparency, public engagement, and accountability, assuring Nigerians that it will continue to provide timely updates on all electoral preparations and statutory activities.
“We reassure Nigerians that the Commission shall continue to keep citizens informed on all its activities,” the statement concluded.
