By: Pentho Goldmark The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has called on the National ...
By: Pentho Goldmark
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has called on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to create a comprehensive citizenship database that would serve as the single source of truth for identifying Nigerians.
Yakubu explained that once such a system is in place, the national register of voters could be drawn directly from the citizenship register, just as it is done in many countries. According to him, this would improve the credibility and efficiency of Nigeria’s elections.
He made this appeal when the Director General of NIMC, Dr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, visited the INEC headquarters with her management team.
Yakubu revealed that NIMC is already using the ongoing nationwide voter registration exercise to update its records by giving Nigerians the opportunity to obtain their National Identification Number (NIN) at INEC centres.
“Ultimately, we look forward to the day when the NIMC database will serve as the single source of truth for citizenship identification in Nigeria,” Yakubu said. “When that happens, the national register of voters may simply draw from the citizenship register. This could even allow citizens to vote from anywhere in the country, not just where they originally registered.”
He added that INEC and NIMC had already carried out a pilot exercise in Anambra State in July 2025, combining voter registration with NIN enrolment, and are now ready to scale it nationwide.
On her part, Dr. Coker-Odusote said the partnership was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to deliver credible elections through reliable identity systems. She stressed that NIMC’s role is to integrate and harmonise identity data across government agencies, noting that the collaboration with INEC would make registration more inclusive and accessible for Nigerians at the grassroots.
Photo credit:The Nation
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