INEC begins online pre-registration of voters, physical exercise starts August 25

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the online pre-registration of voters, marking the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a post on X, the commission urged eligible Nigerians to commence their registration via the www.cvr.inecnigeria.org portal.

The pre-registration will enable prospective voters to book a date and time to complete the exercise in person.

Qualified Nigerians, especially first-time voters, will be able to fill in their personal details such as names, dates of birth, residential addresses and preferred polling units.

Applicants can also use the portal to request transfers of their voting locations, replacement of lost or damaged permanent voter cards (PVCs), or corrections of personal information.

“In-person registration starts August 25, 2025, at all its 37 state offices and 774 local government area (LGA) offices nearest to you,” INEC said.

The in-person registration will later be devolved to other designated registration centres across the country, based on an assessment of the CVR exercise and security situation, and other factors relating to the safety of personnel and materials.

INEC said the CVR exercise is open to new voters aged 18 and above and warned against multiple registrations, stating that violators would face penalties.

INEC also encouraged eligible citizens to use the opportunity to register, noting that voter registration is critical for inclusive participation in Nigeria’s democratic process.

The CVR will run for several months, after which INEC will publish a preliminary voter register for public scrutiny before finalising the list of eligible voters for the 2027 elections.