By Ameh Gabriel
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have agreed to expand their collaboration to harmonise identity data and enhance the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
Speaking at a high-level meeting held at INEC headquarters in Abuja, the Director General of NIMC, Engr. Dr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, reaffirmed the commission’s mandate to integrate and harmonise identity data across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
She highlighted that NIMC’s board includes 14 statutory agencies, with INEC as a longstanding partner. “In line with the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President, who is committed to ensuring credible elections anchored on reliable identity systems, we are here to strengthen this collaboration,” Odusote said.
A key outcome of the partnership is NIMC’s participation in INEC’s ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. According to Odusote, NIMC officials will be deployed to INEC registration centers nationwide, enabling Nigerians to simultaneously enroll for their National Identification Number (NIN) while registering as voters.
Welcoming the NIMC delegation, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, described the initiative as a landmark step toward a unified national identity system. He explained that while INEC manages the voter database, NIMC holds the broader citizenship records, making both institutions custodians of Nigeria’s largest biometric repositories.
“Ultimately, when every Nigerian is enrolled with NIMC, its database could serve as the single source of truth for citizenship identification. In the future, the National Register of Voters may simply draw from the Citizenship Register, as is done in many democracies. This could even enable citizens to vote from anywhere in the country, rather than being restricted to their polling units,” Yakubu noted.
He revealed that the two agencies had already piloted the joint registration model during the Anambra State CVR exercise between July 8 and 20, 2025, and plans are underway to scale up the programme nationwide.
“With NIMC present at our registration centres, citizens will have the dual opportunity to register as voters and obtain their NINs,” the INEC Chairman added.
Yakubu stressed that the synergy reflects INEC’s commitment to strengthening electoral integrity through partnerships with national institutions. NIMC is expected to release details of deployment centres and modalities for NIN enrolment during the CVR in the coming days.
The meeting ended with both agencies reaffirming their shared vision of building a credible, inclusive, and trusted electoral and identity management system that reflects the will of Nigerians.
