INEC voter register display: how to check your details by 15 October

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) began a nationwide display of the voter register on Friday, 9 October 2026, giving registered voters until Thursday, 15 October to check their details and raise claims or objections. Collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) also began nationwide on Friday.

This is the preliminary register for the 2027 general elections, and the display lets voters flag errors and discrepancies before the final register is compiled, TVC News reported. The presidential and National Assembly elections hold on Saturday, 16 January 2027.

INEC Chairman Prof Joash Amupitan announced the dates at a national stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday, 6 October. He said “the register of voters will be displayed for public scrutiny from the 9th to 15th of October 2026”, according to TVC News.

On Thursday, Lagos Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Prof Ayobami Salami, speaking for the chairman at a media conference in Lagos, confirmed the start of card collection. “Nationwide PVC collection will officially commence tomorrow, Friday, 9 October 2026,” he said, Premium Times reported.

Where is the register being displayed?

The preliminary register is on display at Registration Area (ward) centres. INEC offices in Ebonyi, Taraba and Plateau said the centres open from 9am to 3pm daily, according to the Federal Ministry of Information, Premium Times and The Punch. Plateau’s REC, Prof Sam Egwu, said this includes weekends.

Dates can differ slightly by state: INEC’s Taraba office said its exercise would run until 16 October, Premium Times reported. Check with your local INEC office if you are unsure.

Egwu said the exercise follows Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires the register to be displayed at least 90 days before a general election. He urged voters to “take advantage of this opportunity to carefully check information” they provided during registration, The Punch reported.

What should I check?

INEC in Plateau asked voters to confirm their names, photographs, dates of birth and polling units. If anything is wrong or missing, the display period is the window to raise a claim or objection with INEC officials at the centre.

Can I check my registration online?

Yes. INEC’s Voter Verification Service lets you search by your name and date of birth, or by your Voter Identification Number (VIN), after choosing your state and local government of registration. The same portal has a PVC pickup section and a list of registration centres.

Which PVCs are ready for collection?

The cards available now are mainly for people who registered in the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which ended on 10 December 2025, according to INEC’s Ebonyi and Taraba offices.

In Sokoto, REC Umar Garba said cards for the second and third phases, as well as replacements, transfers and updates, are not yet ready, and INEC will announce when they are, The Punch reported. INEC’s Taraba office said more cards would be released once they arrive from Abuja.

After the ward-level exercise ends, collection continues at INEC’s local government offices for anyone who misses it, according to the Ebonyi, Taraba and Sokoto offices.

How big is the register now?

“Nigeria’s National Register of Voters is now over 103 million,” Amupitan told media executives in Abuja on Monday, 5 October, Voice of Nigeria reported. He said 10,772,421 new voters were registered across the three CVR phases between August 2025 and July 2026.

INEC has also introduced printable PVCs. Amupitan said the technology would “ensure that waiting for months for a card becomes a relic of the past”.

What happens next

The national display closes on Thursday, 15 October, while PVC collection continues at local government offices. INEC will present the 2027 register to political parties on 15 December 2026, Amupitan said, according to TVC News.

The presidential and National Assembly elections hold on Saturday, 16 January 2027, followed by governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on Saturday, 6 February 2027, under INEC’s revised timetable.