INEC Demands N1.5bn from Law Firm for Access to Voter Register, Polling Unit Records

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has requested N1.5 billion from a law firm seeking access to Nigeria’s national voter register and polling unit records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In a letter dated October 13, 2025, signed by SecretaryRose Oriaran-Anthony, INEC cited Section 15 of the Electoral Act 2022 and the FOIA 2011, which grants citizens the right to public records within seven days, unless exempted.

The commission stipulated that the applicant must pay N1,505,901,750 via its Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) portal to cover document production costs, with proof of payment required to process the request. The voter register and polling unit data are vital for verifying issues like multiple registrations, ghost voters, and disproportionate polling unit allocations, which have long undermined Nigeria’s electoral integrity.

In 2021, INEC expanded polling units from 119,974 to 176,846 by adding 56,872 new units, the first such increase since 1996. This followed years of resistance to expansion efforts, with many new units created from existing voting points to address overcrowding.