₦airaland Forum

INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION

PRESS STATEMENT

CLARIFICATION ON COST OF NATIONAL REGISTER OF VOTERS AND POLLING UNITS REQUEST

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wishes to clarify matters concerning the recent request by Messrs V.C. Ottaokpukpu & Associates for Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the National Register of Voters for all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as the existing polling units in the electoral wards across the country.

The Commission received the request on 8th October 2025 and responded on 13th October 2025, approving the application while outlining the cost for processing and issuance. The sum quoted – 1,505,901,750 Naira – has become a subject of media attention and public inquiry.

INEC emphasizes that the cost is determined strictly in line with the provisions of Section 8(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, which states that:
"Where access to information is to be given under this Act, the public institution may charge an amount representing the actual cost of document duplication and transcription."

In accordance with INEC Guidelines for the Processing and Issuance of Certified True Copies (CTC) of Documents, which draws authority from Section 15 of the Electoral Act 2022, the applicable charge is 250 Naira per page.

For clarity, the National Register of Voters for all 36 states and the FCT contains 93,469,008 registered voters, with 16 voters per page, requiring 6,018661 pages. Additionally, printing the existing polling units in the electoral wards across the country, covering 176,848 polling units, will require 4,946 pages. The total number of pages to be printed for both requests is therefore 6,023607, at a unit cost of 250 Naira per page, resulting in the total sum of 1,505,901,750 Naira.

The Commission wishes to assure the public that this figure reflects only the actual costs of document duplication and transcription and does not include any other charges. INEC remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the responsible management of public resources.

Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi,
Director, Voter Education & Publicity,
16th October 2025.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CxGCyFnQx/

Previous Thread:
https://www.nairaland.com/8540657/hilarious-reply-inec-request-ctc#137141906

FTC........

WITHOUT ELECTORAL REFORM, THERE'S NO NEED FOR THIS COMING ELECTION!!!

How can they say a page is 250 per page?

The most is #150 per page and yes, the person who want the information should pay

N1.5Bn for over 6 million pages. That is very cheap.

Something wey dem suppose charge N150Bn for.

Why would a law firm be asking for voters register? To harvest our private data or what?

Eleyi le ku o. Eni wase ti ri ise bayi.

"The freedom of information act empowers the parastatals to charge for such services rendered."

Hmmm! Is #1.5 Billion not on the high side?

Soft copies nko?
Must it be printed?
Babablu INEC

Transparency is the hallmark of a sound nation. Let's be transparent

SadiqBabaSani:
How can they say a page is 250 per page?

Why the complaint when we already know that the vacuous “person or groups” requesting such stupid information intend to use it to launch their propaganda on Social Media during the 2027 Presidential Elections?

Anybody thinking Peter Obi will ever become the President of Nigeria is only running a fool’s errand.

The 2023 elections opened our eyes, and we have already anticipated all the dubious strategies that could be employed to foist an iPOB-loving Tribalist & closet Terrorist on Nigeria and have nipped them in the bud.

How a person that came 3rd in a free & fair election is claiming to be the 1st, is beyond any rational argument.

As the popular saying goes, The Devil is in the Details

Nothing cocern INEC and free and fair election

jmoore:
Soft copies nko?

Must it be printed?

Babablu INEC

They asked for certified true copies,not soft copies
We shouldn’t always run agenda on everything

jmoore:
Soft copies nko?

Must it be printed?

Babablu INEC

Did they request for soft copies?

What do they want it for?
Hope they won't harvest voters data?

SadiqBabaSani:
How can they say a page is 250 per page?

The most is #150 per page and yes, the person who want the information should pay

The cost is very cheap considering the fact that the materials will be procured through contract and not directly from the market like you think. The contract for over 6m A4 papers, printers and toners will be advertised, pass through tenders procedure at BPP and then forwarded to FEC for approval. The contractor will also add a profit margin of at least 30%. So, stop thinking this is going to be like printing a page from a business centre.


Instead of complaining about the cost, you should be asking those that made the request what they want to do with the national voters register.

Give him the soft copy, is easy for accessibility.

Who needs hardcopy?

SadiqBabaSani:
How can they say a page is 250 per page?

The most is #150 per page and yes, the person who want the information should pay

You people have started. Go and print it for them now . Print it at 20 naira per page . You think the staff of inec will sit down and be printing ? 250 naira is a fair price for that kind of work

No be everything pesin dey criticize

What's wrong with providing soft copies?

Kanixt:
Give him the soft copy, is easy for accessibility.

Who needs hardcopy?

Better hardcopy . Before oluwole boys will doctor the documents and start accusing INEC of crimes they didnt commit

God bless INEC. How can people be asking for voter's register of about 90m people? What if over 1000 people and groups are asking for the same thing.

smartemperor042:
FTC........

WITHOUT ELECTORAL REFORM, THERE'S NO NEED FOR THIS COMING ELECTION!!!

Even if there is electoral reforms, as long as it will be manned by humans, they will rig it.
Even the US has complains of site hijack and votes influenced by external parties.
How much more...

This response is transparent enough. How about the COST PER KOLOMENTAL ??
In Lufai voice

jmoore:
Soft copies nko?

Must it be printed?

Babablu INEC

Toh! the lawyer should have requested a soft copy preferably in excel or pdf format abi? 🤔

SadiqBabaSani:
How can they say a page is 250 per page?

The most is #150 per page and yes, the person who want the information should pay

In Abuja cost of printing a page ranges N400-N500!

descartes400:
Toh! the lawyer should have requested a soft copy preferably in excel or pdf format abi? 🤔

Soft copy ? How will that be certified as true?

It can never be as bad as what happens in the collation centers.

If you have been part of any election, you will know what I'm talking about!

chipet67:
Even if there is electoral reforms, as long as it will be manned by humans, they will rig it.
Even the US has complains of site hijack and votes influenced by external parties.
How much more...

chipet67:
Even if there is electoral reforms, as long as it will be manned by humans, they will rig it.
Even the US has complains of site hijack and votes influenced by external parties.
How much more...

As long as it's not won by your candidate?
Any other outcome is rigged! Jesters

NewHe:
Soft copy ? How will that be certified as true?

The mistake he made was requesting certified true copy which have to come out in hard copy...he should have requested a pdf copy certified with inec digital signature given the voluminous nature.

descartes400:
The mistake he made was requesting certified true copy which have to come out in hard copy...he should have requested a pdf copy certified with inec digital signature given the voluminous nature.

Does the FOI Act permits that?