A fresh wave of controversy has hit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after it reportedly demanded a staggering ₦1.5 billion as production cost for releasing a certified true copy of Nigeria’s entire National Register of Voters and the list of all polling units nationwide.
The revelation came through an official response by INEC to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request filed by V-C Ottaokpukpu & Associates, an Abuja-based law firm led by public affairs analyst and lawyer, Vincent Otaokpukpu. The firm had, in a letter dated October 8, 2025, invoked the Freedom of Information Act 2011, seeking access to the documents as part of citizens’ constitutional right to public records.
In its reply dated October 13, 2025, and signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, the Commission granted the request in line with Section 15 of the Electoral Act 2022, but said the applicant must first pay ₦1,505,901,750 “to cover the cost of production.” The payment, INEC noted, should be made via the Remita platform (www.remita.net)before the documents would be processed.
According to the Commission, the amount represents “the actual cost” of producing a certified true copy of the massive register, which contains data of over 93 million registered voters compiled ahead of the 2023 general elections. INEC added that the request was consistent with its transparency obligations under both the Electoral Act and the FOI law.
Public Backlash
The disclosure has sparked widespread outrage, with civil rights advocates and social media users accusing INEC of attempting to block access to public information through “outrageous financial barriers.”
Critics argue that the ₦1.5 billion fee violates the spirit of the FOI Act, which limits access costs to reasonable duplication and processing fees.
One analyst described the demand as “a mockery of transparency,” noting that previous requests for state-level registers cost only a fraction of that amount. Another commentator questioned why INEC would charge such a fee in the digital age, asking, “What justifies ₦1.5 billion for documents that already exist electronically?”
The development comes as INEC continues its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, with the Commission recently disclosing that over six million Nigerians have started online pre-registration since August 2025.
The National Register of Voters remains one of Nigeria’s most critical public databases, containing demographic and biometric details of all eligible voters. While individuals can verify their registration on cvr.inecnigeria.org, access to the full national register has never been granted in bulk form.
As of Friday, both INEC and V-C Ottaokpukpu & Associates had yet to issue further statements regarding the controversial ₦1.5 billion fee.