Get Guardian on GoogleThe Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the national voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections to allow Nigerians independently verify its authenticity.
The association said public access to the register would help citizens identify fictitious names, suspicious entries and other irregularities before the polls.
In a statement signed on Friday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA insisted that transparency in voter registration was essential to credible elections and public confidence in the electoral process.
“Nigerians must not be expected to trust an electoral register they cannot independently scrutinise,” the association said.
The demand follows allegations by the Peter Obi Media Office of an alleged plot involving suspected elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and some INEC officials to compromise the electoral process, particularly in the South-East.
The media office alleged that operatives linked to the Presidency were working with some commission officials to relocate polling and collation centres, tamper with voter records and introduce fictitious names into the national register.
Although the allegations remain unsubstantiated, HURIWA urged INEC to address the concerns publicly rather than allow suspicions to undermine confidence in the electoral process.
It called on the commission to publish the complete national voters’ register and provide accessible digital platforms through which Nigerians could check their records, identify irregularities and report suspicious entries.
The rights group also asked INEC to disclose all approved alterations to electoral records, including transfers of polling units and any changes to polling or collation centres.
It said the commission must explain the reasons for such changes and make public the administrative procedures guiding them.
HURIWA further urged INEC to clarify whether it had approved the relocation of any polling or collation centres ahead of the 2027 elections.
The association warned that introducing fictitious names into the register or recording votes in the names of people who never appeared at polling units would constitute a serious assault on democracy.
It called for the prosecution of anyone found guilty of electoral fraud, insisting that political influence should not shield offenders from the law.
In a controversial warning, HURIWA declared that anyone who attempted to rig an election and was neutralised while committing the crime had died in the same manner as a terrorist threatening the nation’s security and stability.
However, it stressed that responses to electoral malpractice must comply with the law and respect due process.
The association also challenged President Bola Tinubu to publicly distance his administration from any alleged scheme to manipulate the 2027 elections.
It urged the President to assure Nigerians that no government agency would participate in compromising the electoral process.
HURIWA equally called on election-monitoring organisations and the international community to pay close attention to preparations for the 2027 polls.
It warned that withholding transparent electoral information from citizens could deepen public distrust, heighten political tensions and create avoidable threats to national stability.
“Anything short of full transparency in the management and verification of the national voters’ register is unacceptable, unlawful and capable of provoking dangerous political consequences,” the association said.
It maintained that the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend largely on INEC’s willingness to guarantee an open and verifiable registration process.
“The 2027 elections must be determined by genuine voters exercising their democratic rights, not by fabricated names, manipulated polling arrangements or the calculations of desperate politicians,” HURIWA added.
