TYF-PAC Urges INEC to Simplify Voter Registration to Boost Participation

The independent civic group TYF-PAC has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to overhaul Nigeria’s voter registration system, describing the current process as cumbersome and exclusionary. In an open letter to INEC Chairman and Commissioners, TYF-PAC highlighted that the two-step registration process—online pre-registration followed by mandatory in-person biometric capture—creates significant barriers for many eligible voters.

The organization noted that traders, artisans, informal workers, rural residents, and digitally underserved populations are particularly disadvantaged, often unable to complete registration or receive their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). TYF-PAC argued that Nigeria’s robust National Identification Number (NIN) system could be leveraged to streamline verification and voter identification.

The group proposed several reforms, including same-day registration and verification, expansion of registration points to commercial hubs, banks, and government offices, full online registration, improved PVC delivery, digital verification at polling units, year-round registration, and formal collaboration with civic organizations to assist underserved communities. TYF-PAC emphasized that these measures would reduce voter apathy and strengthen democratic participation, underscoring their ongoing effort to build a verified three-million-voter engagement database.