The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has postponed its scheduled nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 general elections.

Mr. Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, made the announcement in a communique issued on Friday, April 10.

Haruna noted that the postponement followed deliberations at a meeting between the commission and resident electoral commissioners (RECs). ”Following deliberations, the commission resolved to postpone the exercise until after the 2027 General Election,” he stated.

”RECs are also therefore directed to step down all publicity and arrangements for the voter revalidation exercise and await further directives from the commission.”

Suffice it to state that on Wednesday, April 1, INEC had announced plans to commence a voter revalidation drive nationwide from April 13, 2026, as part of modalities to update the voter register in preparedness for the 2027 general election. However, this move sparked heavy controversy and criticisms from civil societies, election stakeholders and opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which described the planned exercise as not only a recipe for chaos but also a blatant step towards undermining the credibility of the 2027 elections.