The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised alarm over what it described as “statistically implausible” voter registration figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), warning that the integrity of the 2027 general elections could be at risk if the anomalies are not addressed.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party argued that figures from Osun State and the wider South-West zone defied both historical patterns and demographic realities. According to INEC’s report, Osun alone recorded 393,269 pre-registrations in just one week — a figure the ADC said surpassed the 275,815 new voters registered in the state between 2019 and 2023.
“Even at its peak of political mobilisation in 2022, Osun never produced more than 823,124 votes in a governorship election. Now, nearly 20 percent of all eligible adults in the state are said to have rushed to register. This is not just unusual; it is statistically implausible,” the party declared.
The ADC further noted that the South-West accounted for 848,359 pre-registrations, or 67 percent of the national total. In contrast, the entire South-East recorded just 1,998, while Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu, Abia, and Adamawa states combined for only 4,153.
“These extraordinary figures suggest either a technical fault in INEC’s digital registration system or, more troublingly, deliberate manipulation to prepare the ground for a sinister agenda. In either case, INEC has explanations to give,” Abdullahi warned.
Stressing that the credibility of elections rests on the voters’ register, the ADC cautioned that unresolved anomalies could erode public trust. “Our democracy cannot withstand another flawed register or technical collapse,” it said.
Call for Forensic Audit
The party urged INEC to immediately conduct and publish a forensic audit of the first-week data, including state-by-state breakdowns of online and physical registrations. It also demanded the release of server logs, bandwidth distribution records, and regional access reports for the portal.
The ADC further called on the international community to closely monitor developments, warning that ignoring the warning signs could destabilise Nigeria.
“Silence in the face of these anomalies will amount to complicity. History shows that questions about the voters’ register, when left unanswered, threaten not just elections but national stability. The time to act is now,” the statement concluded.
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