Former Minister of Interior and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to integrate its voter database with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to end multiple and fraudulent registrations in Nigeria’s elections.
Speaking during a session on Innovation in Electoral Technology, Aregbesola said a unified database would strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system and help clean up inflated voter registers.
“Let us compel INEC to link voter registration with NIMC. That will eliminate bloated registers and multiple registrations.
“How do we have 93 million registered voters but only 23 million turn out to vote? We need a credible voter register that truly reflects our voting population,” he said.
Aregbesola noted that the persistent gap between registered voters and actual voter turnout points to the existence of ghost entries and irregularities that undermine the integrity of elections.
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He explained that linking the two national databases would ensure that each registered voter is verified as a real, traceable individual.
The former minister stressed that credible elections depend on transparency, accountability, and the honesty of those managing the process, not just technology.
“We must start from how we appoint people to superintend the process,” he said. “If the principal beneficiary of manipulation nominates who chairs INEC, the outcome is already predetermined.”
He maintained that restoring public trust in elections requires strong institutional reforms, insisting that Nigeria must move beyond rhetoric and adopt practical solutions.
“To have a credible election, to have democracy, you need democrats,” he said. “And to have democrats, there must be trust and confidence in the process. I rest my case.”