Nigerians May Vote From Anywhere in Future Elections, INEC Assures

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said Nigerians may, in future elections, be able to cast their votes from any location within the country.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Wednesday when the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Dr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, led her management team on a visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Yakubu explained that the integration of INEC’s voters’ database with the biometric records of NIMC would strengthen identity management and pave the way for greater flexibility in voting, eliminating the current restriction that compels citizens to vote only in their places of registration.

According to him, both agencies hold the largest biometric databases in Nigeria, making their collaboration strategic to the future of credible elections. He added that as part of the partnership, NIMC officials have been deployed to some Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) centres across the country to allow eligible Nigerians register for their National Identification Number (NIN) while enrolling as voters.

“This collaboration will enable more Nigerians to take part in both data capturing exercises simultaneously, ensuring inclusivity in our democratic process,” Yakubu said.

On her part, the NIMC DG reaffirmed her agency’s commitment to the partnership, describing it as pivotal to building a unified citizenship database. She stressed that harmonising identity records would enhance governance, deepen accountability, and ultimately strengthen electoral integrity.

“Our aim is to provide systems the public can trust, while meeting the expectations of Nigerians and discharging our mandate in line with the will of the people,” Coker-Odusote said.

INEC expressed hope that the initiative would, in the long run, allow it to adopt the national citizenship register for elections, in line with global best practices.