By Paul Williams
The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), a human rights and public accountability watchdog, has expressed concern over emerging allegations of irregularities and possible manipulation of Nigeria’s voters’ register ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Executive Director of FENRAD, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, in a statement made available to newsmen, said the group’s concern followed recent public warnings by Channels Television journalist, Seun Okinbaloye, who reportedly raised questions about the integrity of the voters’ register during a broadcast of Politics Today.
Nwafor said the allegations reportedly include underage registration, multiple registrations, fictitious voter entries and the possible inclusion of ineligible persons in the electoral database.
He noted that while FENRAD recognised that the allegations require independent verification and should not be treated as established facts without credible evidence, it said they were sufficiently serious to warrant immediate attention from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political stakeholders, civil society organisations and the Nigerian public.
“For us, the integrity of an election is not determined exclusively by what happens at polling stations on election day. It begins with the credibility of the institutions, processes and databases upon which the entire electoral exercise rests,” he said.
FENRAD warned that a compromised voters’ register, if established, could undermine the principle of equal suffrage, distort electoral representation, weaken public confidence and expose the democratic process to avoidable manipulation.
The group said failure to address credible complaints about the register before the 2027 elections could create opportunities for electoral malpractice and undermine public trust in democratic institutions.
It raised concerns over the integrity of voter registration, multiple registration, institutional accountability, transparency and public confidence, as well as the overall credibility of the electoral process.
FENRAD called on INEC to undertake a credible, independent and transparent forensic examination of the voters’ register, with particular attention to suspicious entries, duplicate records, underage registration and potentially fictitious identities.
It also urged the Commission to publish comprehensive findings of its verification exercises, including the nature and scale of identified irregularities, corrective measures undertaken and outstanding challenges.
The group further asked INEC to strengthen public verification mechanisms by ensuring that citizens, political parties, accredited election observers and civil society organisations can meaningfully participate in the verification and objection process, subject to applicable privacy and data-protection safeguards.
FENRAD also demanded the investigation and sanction of any electoral official or individual found to have engaged in deliberate manipulation, misconduct or complicity.
It cautioned that the clean-up exercise must not become an avenue for arbitrarily deleting legitimate voters, insisting that every affected individual must have access to fair verification, notification and an opportunity to challenge erroneous exclusions.
The group urged INEC to institutionalise constructive engagement with credible civil society organisations, professional bodies, election observers and relevant democratic institutions to strengthen transparency and accountability.
Nwafor said credible elections were fundamental to democratic governance, institutional legitimacy, environmental justice, human rights and sustainable development.
He said communities require legitimate, accountable and responsive institutions to protect their environmental, social and economic interests, adding that when democratic institutions lose public confidence, the consequences extend beyond electoral politics to governance and the protection of fundamental rights.
“Nigeria cannot afford another cycle of avoidable electoral controversies. The 2027 General Elections must be prepared through transparent processes, credible institutions and demonstrable accountability,” Nwafor said.
The group urged INEC to treat the concerns with urgency and provide Nigerians with verifiable assurances that the voters’ register is accurate, credible and protected against manipulation.
It also called on Nigerians to remain vigilant, exercise their democratic rights responsibly and report credible evidence of electoral irregularities through appropriate lawful channels.
