INEC, NIMC Deepen Digital Partnership to Strengthen Election Integrity

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have agreed to deepen collaboration on digital identity verification to strengthen the credibility of future elections.

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan made the commitment while receiving NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote and her management team at the commission's headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan said the recently signed National Identity Management Commission Act, 2026, represents a major step toward building a more secure and transparent electoral system.

Coker-Odusote said the new law, signed by President Bola Tinubu on June 26, transforms NIMC into Nigeria's foundational digital identity authority and the custodian of the country's Digital Public Infrastructure and Root Public Key Infrastructure.

According to her, the reforms will strengthen Nigeria's digital economy, reduce fraud, improve access to public and private services, and enhance electoral integrity through stronger identity verification.

She said NIMC is ready to support INEC in delivering free, fair and transparent elections because identity remains central to credible electoral processes.

NIMC's Director of Strategy and Programme Office, Dr. Alba Nkoku, said the new law provides the legal framework for digital public infrastructure, strengthens Nigeria's digital sovereignty and introduces digital identity credentials beyond the conventional identity card system.

Responding, Amupitan described the legislation as a landmark reform that expands NIMC's role beyond identity registration and opens new opportunities for collaboration in voter registration, data verification and eliminating duplicate records.

He disclosed that INEC's newly introduced online Continuous Voter Registration platform already requires applicants to use their National Identification Number (NIN) for identity verification and said closer integration between the two agencies would further simplify voter registration and improve election credibility.

The INEC chairman added that both agencies must also establish safeguards for the use of artificial intelligence and digital systems to protect the integrity and security of electoral data.