Key points

• Opposition parties questioned INEC’s Osun registration numbers.

• INEC said the figures follow past patterns.

• Atiku called for an independent audit before 2027.

A fresh dispute has broken out between Nigeria’s electoral umpire and opposition parties after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released new voter registration figures showing Osun State far ahead of the rest of the country.

According to INEC, Osun registered more than 393,000 new voters in just a week — nearly double the numbers recorded in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

The release triggered alarm across the opposition, with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar describing the figures as suspicious.

The ADC said the numbers simply “don’t add up,” pointing out that the South-West now accounts for two-thirds of all new registrations, while the South-East barely crossed 2,000.

INEC pushes back against claims

INEC dismissed suggestions of manipulation. Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to the commission’s chairman, said Osun has always topped registration exercises in the past.

“We are focused on registering eligible Nigerians, not balancing state-by-state numbers,” he said.

The commission explained that the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration, which began in mid-August, allows online pre-registration before physical enrollment.

It said this method helps speed up the process and may explain the high figures.

But opposition parties weren’t convinced. The PDP said the numbers highlight “deep flaws” in governance and warned against political actors taking advantage of weak institutions.

The Labour Party claimed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may be benefiting from the trend.

Pressure builds for reforms before 2027

Atiku Abubakar went further, calling for an independent audit of INEC’s registration data. He argued that without a transparent review, public confidence in the 2027 elections would suffer.

He also pressed lawmakers to amend the Electoral Act, saying manual collation and transmission of results should be scrapped in favor of full electronic processes.

Forensic experts also stepped in. The Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria offered to help INEC examine the registration figures and protect the integrity of the voter roll.

With just under two years before the next general election, the clash over Osun’s numbers has widened into a bigger fight over how prepared INEC is to run a fair contest.

Opposition voices say voter registration is the first test of credibility — and for now, that test is in doubt.