The Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately extend the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and align its timetable with a subsisting Federal High Court ruling. In a formal letter delivered to the INEC Chairman at the commission’s headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, the pro-democracy group urged the electoral body to keep voter registration open until at least 90 days before the upcoming 2027 General Elections. To support its demand, COPDEM referenced the November 22, 2022 judgement delivered in Anaja Salmat & 3 Others v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/2022). In that landmark ruling, the Federal High Court held that voter registration must continue until 90 days before a general election to protect the constitutional voting rights of eligible Nigerians. The court further noted that closing voter registration prematurely—while a substantial number of eligible citizens remain unregistered—constitutes an unreasonable exercise of INEC’s statutory powers. COPDEM cautioned that shutting down the CVR exercise months before the constitutional deadline risks disenfranchising millions of citizens, ultimately undermining the credibility and inclusiveness of the 2027 elections.
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