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By Gabriel Ameh
ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have pledged deeper collaboration to strengthen digital trust in Nigeria’s electoral system through secure identity verification, improved voter registration and a cleaner national voter register.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), made the disclosure on Wednesday while receiving the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team during a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan described the recently signed NIMC Act 2026 as a landmark reform that redefines Nigeria’s digital identity architecture and provides a stronger legal and technological foundation for credible elections.
According to him, the new legislation transforms NIMC from a registration agency into a sovereign digital identity authority capable of supporting governance, commerce, land administration and election management.
He said identity-related challenges such as impersonation, duplication and identity theft have continued to pose risks to election integrity, expressing confidence that the strengthened legal framework would make such infractions easier to detect and prevent.
The INEC chairman noted that NIMC’s database of more than 136 million enrolled Nigerians provides an opportunity for seamless integration between both institutions, enabling continuous verification, auditing and the removal of duplicate and underage entries from the national voter register.
He disclosed that INEC’s newly introduced online voter registration platform is now anchored on the National Identification Number (NIN), describing the initiative as a significant step towards modernising the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process.
Amupitan also revealed that, in line with Section 18 of the Electoral Act, eligible voters whose Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are damaged, defaced or illegible can apply for replacements at least 90 days before an election. He added that the Commission would also make provisions for printable PVCs to prevent eligible voters from being disenfranchised.
He acknowledged that the current voter register still contains records of deceased persons dating back to 2011, as well as duplicate registrations, stressing that collaboration with NIMC would support ongoing efforts to sanitise the register and establish a more accurate database of eligible voters.
According to him, maintaining a cleaner voter register would also reduce election costs, noting that INEC currently prints electoral materials above the number of registered voters to accommodate existing discrepancies. He said a comprehensive voter register quantification exercise would be undertaken after the 2027 General Election.
The INEC chairman further highlighted the increasing role of artificial intelligence in election administration, stressing the need for appropriate safeguards and regulatory frameworks to ensure emerging technologies strengthen, rather than undermine, electoral credibility.
Speaking during the visit, NIMC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the signing of the NIMC Act 2026 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu marked a turning point in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.
She explained that the new law establishes NIMC as the country’s National Trust Authority, placing it at the centre of Nigeria’s digital public infrastructure and public key infrastructure (PKI).
According to her, the Act provides the legal framework for secure digital identity, trusted electronic transactions and authentication services that will support government agencies, financial institutions, businesses and citizens.
Coker-Odusote said the Public Key Infrastructure would further strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process by providing trusted identity authentication, secure digital signatures and stronger protection against impersonation, forgery and cyber fraud.
She reaffirmed NIMC’s commitment to supporting INEC in delivering transparent, credible and technology-driven elections, describing identity as the foundation for effective governance and election planning.
Also speaking, NIMC’s Director of Strategy and Programme Office, Dr. Alvan Ikoku, said the Act shifts Nigeria from a card-centric identity system to a broader digital identity ecosystem supported by digital identity credentials.
He explained that the legislation provides explicit legal backing for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), creating a nationally recognised trust framework for secure digital services across both the public and private sectors.
Ikoku noted that under the new law, NIMC is empowered to establish and operate the National Digital Certification Authority, issue and manage digital certificates, provide trusted identity authentication services, support secure digital signatures and develop standards for trusted digital identity services.
He said the reforms would enable government institutions, including INEC, to confidently transition from paper-based processes to secure digital governance built on trust, authentication and verifiable identity.
