Peter Obi urges INEC to extend voter registration for 2027 polls

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and a prominent opposition figure, has called on Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the ongoing voter registration period. Obi argues that the extension is crucial to ensure that eligible Nigerians, particularly young people, are not excluded from participating in the upcoming 2027 general elections.

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Every day, more young Nigerians attain the age of 18 and become constitutionally eligible to vote. They are not just our future; they are stakeholders in our present. It would be unfortunate if many of them were denied the opportunity to exercise their civic responsibility simply because the registration process closed long before the elections.

"Every day, more young Nigerians attain the age of 18 and become constitutionally eligible to vote," Obi stated in a press release on Thursday. He emphasized that these young citizens are not just the future but also stakeholders in the present, and denying them the opportunity to vote due to an early closure of registration would be unfortunate.

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As we continue to encourage Nigerians to participate actively in our democracy, I respectfully appeal to INEC to consider extending the voter registration window to the latest practical date that still allows adequate time for the preparation of a credible voters’ register before the 2027 general elections.

Obi's appeal is supported by a Federal High Court judgment from November 2022. The court ruled that voter registration should continue until 90 days before a general election. This ruling, he believes, protects the constitutional voting rights of eligible Nigerians. Obi acknowledged INEC's significant responsibility in delivering credible elections and the need for sufficient time to prepare the voter register.

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However, our electoral process should, as much as possible, maximise participation rather than limit it. A democracy is strengthened when every eligible citizen has the opportunity to be heard.

However, he stressed that electoral processes should prioritize maximizing participation over limiting it. "A democracy is strengthened when every eligible citizen has the opportunity to be heard," Obi added. He urged INEC to adopt a timeline that upholds the process's integrity while preventing the unnecessary disenfranchisement of eligible Nigerians, especially the youth.

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Obi urged the commission to “adopt a registration timeline that protects the integrity of the process while ensuring that no eligible Nigerian, especially our young people, is unnecessarily disenfranchised.”