2027: Opposition coalition demands audit of voter register

By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja

Nigeria’s opposition alliance, the Coalition for Democracy, formerly known as G100, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress APC of rigging the rules before the votes, saying Nigeria cannot have free elections without free political competition.

According to the coalition, APC is “systematically shrinking Nigeria’s democratic space” and demanded an independent forensic audit of the voters’ register before December 15.

In a statement signed by Salihu Moh. Lukman on behalf of the coalition parties on Thursday, the group said the APC was “creating an electoral environment in which only the ruling party enjoys privileges that are deliberately denied to the opposition.”

The coalition, which announced its decision to formally adopt the name Coalition for Democracy, replacing the old G100 Coalition, was formed after the 1st Opposition Summit on August 31, 2026, in Abuja.

Its Central Leadership Committee CLC took the decision at a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. The name, it said, reflects “the common commitment of its member parties to the defence of constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the protection of Nigerians’ fundamental political rights.”

The CLC warned that, with barely 72 days to the January 16 elections, “the conduct of government institutions and security agencies raises serious questions about whether Nigerians will be allowed to freely choose their leaders.”

According to the Committee, in the last 90 days alone, opposition supporters have been attacked in Kaduna, ambushed in Ibadan and attacked in Sokoto and Cross River.

It added that hotels booked for opposition delegates have cancelled reservations, campaign offices have been sealed, and opposition billboards have been pulled down in Edo State “while those of the ruling party remain untouched.”

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the statement said opposition access to outdoor advertising “has reportedly been subjected to charges as high as N750 million.”

The Committee also cited “one particularly disturbing incident” in which a local government chairman reportedly told residents to vote for the APC or leave their community.

“The APC is not just trying to win the election. It is trying to decide the conditions under which everybody else must contest it. This is what happens when a ruling party begins to confuse its control of government with ownership of democracy. You cannot be a contestant and insist on writing the rules for your opponents,” it stated.

The coalition expressed what it called “even greater concern” over the integrity of the voters’ register, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to meet the statutory deadline prescribed by Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.

It said the discovery of AI-generated photographs in the register, “reportedly inserted by INEC’s own registration officers,” and the removal of more than 1.27 million records “have deepened public concerns about the Commission’s preparedness and credibility.”

The Committee questioned why no official had been publicly identified or prosecuted over the irregularities and why political parties had not been given copies of the register for independent scrutiny.

“The credibility of an election begins long before the first ballot is cast. If INEC cannot account for the names on its register, how can Nigerians trust it to account for the votes in its custody? A compromised register today is a compromised election tomorrow. Nigerians deserve answers, not excuses,” it stated.

The Coalition demanded that INEC immediately provide all registered political parties with electronic copies of the preliminary voters’ register and, subsequently, the certified register.

It also called for an independent forensic audit to be concluded before December 15, with the findings published state by state and all culpable officials brought to justice.

The Central Leadership called on the Inspector General of Police to guarantee equal protection for all lawful political activities, in accordance with Section 83 of the Police Act 2020. It also asked him to make public the outcome of investigations into attacks on opposition supporters in Oyo, Kaduna and Sokoto states.

It urged state governments to “immediately end the discriminatory denial of campaign venues, political offices and advertising spaces” and to ensure that all political parties operate under the same publicly established rules.

“We are not asking for privileges. We are demanding the protection of rights that already belong to us under the Constitution. The law cannot be strict when the opposition is involved and suddenly become flexible when the ruling party is concerned. Democracy cannot survive where the law has two faces.

“Seventy-two days is enough time to correct these abuses. It is also enough time to establish whether those responsible are interested in a credible election or merely the appearance of one. Nobody should mistake our patience for acceptance. When institutions repeatedly fail in ways that favour the ruling party, Nigerians are entitled to question whether these failures are accidents or a design.

“Let nobody misunderstand what is at stake. This is not simply about the right of opposition parties to campaign. It is about the right of Nigerians to have a choice. When you prevent the opposition from organising, you are not only attacking political parties; you are denying citizens their democratic rights. An election without genuine competition is not democracy. It is an endorsement ceremony,” the coalition added.