As part of efforts to harmonize identity and voter registration processes across Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) are set to strengthen their partnership.
During a courtesy visit to INEC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu commended the ongoing cooperation between the two federal agencies, emphasizing its potential to transform the country’s electoral system.
Yakubu highlighted the scale and significance of the partnership, noting that both agencies collectively maintain the largest biometric databases in Nigeria, INEC for electoral purposes and NIMC for national citizenship identification.
“We look forward to the day when your database will serve as the single source of truth for citizenship identification in Nigeria. When that happens, the national register of voters may simply draw from the citizenship register, as is already practiced in many countries worldwide”, Yakubu said.
He added that such integration could eventually enable citizens to vote from any location in the country, regardless of where they initially registered, a goal requiring close and continuous collaboration between INEC and NIMC.
Yakubu further noted that this initiative would improve efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility in voter registration, reduce duplication, and strengthen trust in the electoral process. He also urged both agencies to leverage technological innovations and data-driven approaches to build a robust and reliable national identity and voter registration system.
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