“The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.”
Wole Soyinka
(Nigerian writer and playwright)
Dear {{First name|Active Citizen}},
Can I Register to Vote? INEC Says… Nothing.
If you tried to pre-register to vote online in the last few weeks or book an appointment to replace your PVC, there is a good chance you hit a wall. Just a screen with an error message and a deadline quietly ticking towards you.
And that deadline? It is tomorrow.
Phase 2 of INEC's Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise closes this Friday, April 17, and for many Nigerians who wanted to register, transfer their registration, or replace a lost or damaged PVC, the online system they were expected to use simply was not available. The worst part is that there was no communication from INEC about what was happening or what to do instead.
This is becoming a pattern.
Last week, we told you about INEC's sudden announcement of a nationwide voter revalidation exercise, a plan that was quietly floated, loudly rejected, and eventually suspended following a wave of public pushback. We celebrated that win together, and rightly so. But, what we are seeing with the CVR portal is the same underlying problem wearing a different face: an institution that makes consequential decisions affecting millions of Nigerians without adequate communication, consultation, or accountability.
If INEC cannot manage a registration portal or tell citizens when it is down, what does that say about its readiness to manage the election?
So, What Did We Do About it?
We formally wrote to INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), laying out exactly what is wrong and what needs to happen. Our letter raised four specific issues:
The portal suspension without public notice
limited awareness of in-person LGA registration options
No guidance for citizens seeking PVC replacement,
The overall inaccessibility of the process during a critical window.
We sent the letter. They acknowledged it. Now we are waiting - in public, with receipts.
But Back to You - Because There Is Still Time
If you have not registered and Phase 2 is still open, do not sit on it. You do not need the portal. Walk into the INEC office at your Local Government Area today, bring a valid ID, and get it done. It closes tomorrow.
And if you absolutely cannot meet tomorrow’s timeline, Phase 3 opens on May 4 and runs until August 17, 2026. Mark that date and send it to your group chat right now, because most people do not know it is coming, and the gap between "I meant to register" and "I cannot vote in 2027" is exactly this kind of moment.
While you are at it, think about the people around you - your younger sibling, your neighbour, your colleague who keeps saying their vote does not matter. Tell them that if the votes didn’t matter, politicians won’t try to buy them!
And if your group, association, or neighbourhood needs help accessing voter registration during Phase 3, reply to this email. We are engaging INEC in the coming days, and we would love to help bring registration closer to your community.
Still Waiting for Your PVC? Here Is What to Know
We have been getting this question a lot, so let us break it down simply.
If you registered before the 2023 elections and still do not have your PVC, it is likely already waiting for you. Just visit the INEC office closest to your polling unit to pick it up.
If you registered more recently, watch your email. INEC is already sending out approval notifications, and PVCs will be printed and ready for collection soon.
We will keep engaging with INEC and reporting back to you. Because this is not just about a portal being down for a few weeks. It is about whether the institution managing Nigeria's elections can be trusted to be transparent, responsive, and competent when it matters. Right now, that trust is being tested. And you, by staying informed, by registering, by holding them accountable, are exactly the pressure that makes the difference.
The #OfficeOfTheCitizen does not go quiet between elections. Especially not now.
We Need Your Voice, Literally
Our partners at Learn Politics are conducting a major research project on Nigerian youth voting behaviour across the 2015, 2019, and 2023 elections, and what it means for 2027.
If you are between 18 and 35, your experience is the missing piece of this puzzle. Your feedback will help shape evidence-based strategies for youth engagement and electoral planning.
In service of the #OfficeOfTheCitizen
The EiE Nigeria Team.
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Enough thinking. Enough ranting. Let's build.