The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has demanded ₦1.5 billion from a law firm that requested copies of the national voter register and polling unit records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
In a letter dated October 13, 2025, and signed by the Commission’s Secretary, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, INEC stated that the approval was granted in line with Section 15 of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011, which guarantees citizens’ right to access public records held by any government body.
Under Sections 1(1) and (2) of the FOIA, every Nigerian is entitled to request information, regardless of purpose, and public institutions must provide such information within seven days, except when disclosure is exempted by law.
INEC, however, explained that the applicant must pay ₦1,505,901,750 (One Billion, Five Hundred and Five Million, Nine Hundred and One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira) to cover the cost of producing the requested materials.
The Commission instructed that payment should be made through its official Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) platform, with proof of payment required to process the request.
“Kindly pay the said amount into INEC Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) (www.remita.com) and present the proof of payment (e-receipt) in order to proceed with your request,” the letter added.
INEC’s national register of voters and polling unit data are key tools for verifying cases of multiple registration, ghost voters, and uneven polling unit distribution—issues that have continued to challenge Nigeria’s electoral credibility.
In 2021, INEC created 56,872 new polling units as part of its voter access expansion initiative.
Before this exercise, Nigeria had 119,974 polling units, a figure unchanged since 1996. The addition brought the total to 176,846 polling units nationwide.
Previous efforts to increase polling units since 1996 faced setbacks or controversy, making the 2021 expansion the first successful implementation. Many of the new polling units were formed by converting existing voting points and settlements used in earlier elections to reduce overcrowding.
