Nigerians to get NIN, voter card at same centres — INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have strengthened their collaboration to integrate voter registration with the National Identification Number (NIN) system.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this when he received the Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team on a courtesy visit at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, on Wednesday.
Yakubu explained that the two agencies hold the largest biometric databases of citizens in the country, noting that the partnership was designed to make identity management more efficient and elections more credible.
“Since the ultimate goal is to enroll every citizen with NIMC, we look forward to the day when your database will serve as the single source of truth for citizenship identification in Nigeria. When the time comes, the national register of voters may simply draw from the citizenship register as is the case in many jurisdictions around the world,” he said.
The INEC chairman disclosed that both agencies had already piloted the integration during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Anambra State from July 8 to 20, 2025, and are now ready to scale it up nationwide.
“With this collaboration, citizens will have the opportunity to register as voters while simultaneously registering for the NIN,” he added.
On her part, the NIMC Director General reaffirmed the commission’s mandate to integrate and harmonise identity data across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
“In line with the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President, who is committed to ensuring credible elections anchored on reliable identity systems, we are here to strengthen this collaboration,” Coker-Odusote said.
She added that NIMC would deploy officials to INEC’s CVR centres nationwide, enabling Nigerians to complete both registrations seamlessly.
According to her, NIMC’s governing board includes 14 statutory agencies, with INEC as one of its longstanding partners.
