INEC Defends ₦1.5bn Charge for Voters Register Request

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended its decision to charge ₦1.5 billion for the release of Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the National Register of Voters and the list of polling units, saying the amount strictly reflects the cost of document duplication as required by law.


In a statement signed by Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, on Thursday, INEC said the cost was computed in line with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, and the Electoral Act, 2022, which empower public institutions to recover the actual cost of producing documents requested by members of the public.


The clarification follows public criticism of the Commission’s demand for ₦1,505,901,750, which was quoted in its October 13, 2025, response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the law firm of V.C. Ottaokpukpu & Associates five days earlier.


According to INEC, the requested documents included the full National Register of Voters covering all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as a list of all existing polling units in the country’s electoral wards.


The Commission explained that its calculation was based on ₦250 per page, the standard rate set out in its internal Guidelines for the Processing and Issuance of Certified True Copies (CTCs), which draw authority from Section 15 of the Electoral Act, 2022.


INEC said the National Register contains 93,469,008 registered voters, with an average of 16 voters per page, resulting in about 6,018,661 pages. 


It added that an additional 4,946 pages were required to print details of 176,848 polling units, bringing the total to 6,023,607 pages.


“At a unit cost of ₦250 per page, the total comes to ₦1,505,901,750,” the statement said, stressing that the figure represents “only the actual cost of duplication and transcription, with no additional administrative or processing fees.”


The Commission maintained that its computation aligns with Section 8(1) of the FOI Act, which allows public institutions to charge only the amount representing the cost of duplication or transcription.


INEC assured Nigerians that it remains “committed to transparency, accountability, and responsible management of public resources,” and that its processes for document certification and access to public information are conducted in accordance with existing laws and guidelines.

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