The Independent National Electoral Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission following the enactment of the National Identity Management Commission Act, 2026, describing the development as a major milestone in efforts to enhance electoral integrity through secure digital identity verification.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), stated this while receiving the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and members of her management team during a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, on Wednesday.
This was according to a statement issued by the commission on Wednesday.
PUNCH Online reports that Nigeria has increasingly deployed technology to improve the credibility of elections through innovations such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal. Identity verification has also remained a key component of ongoing electoral reforms aimed at strengthening public confidence in the electoral process.
In his remarks, Amupitan reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with NIMC, describing it as a major step towards building a more secure and transparent electoral system.
He said, “Closer cooperation between the two agencies would improve identity verification processes, reduce electoral fraud and support the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections.”
On her part, Coker-Odusote said the newly enacted NIMC Act, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on June 26, 2026, represented a landmark reform of the country’s identity management system.
Explaining the significance of the new legislation, Coker-Odusote said, “The newly enacted NIMC Act, signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on June 26, 2026, marks a historic transformation of the Commission after nearly two decades of reforms.
“The new law elevates NIMC from being merely a custodian of Nigeria’s identity database to the nation’s foundational digital identity authority, making it the home of Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Root Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which provides the digital trust framework for secure transactions and governance.”
She added that the reforms would strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy, reduce fraud, simplify access to public and private services and improve the integrity of the country’s electoral process through more robust identity verification mechanisms.
“NIMC is ready to support INEC in delivering free, fair and transparent elections because identity remains the foundation of effective governance and credible electoral processes,” she said.
The partnership comes amid continued efforts by the Federal Government to deepen digital governance and modernise public institutions through integrated identity management systems, with officials expressing confidence that stronger collaboration between NIMC and INEC will enhance transparency, improve service delivery and reinforce confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
