The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it approved a charge of ₦1.5 billion for the issuance of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the National Register of Voters across all polling units in Nigeria, following a formal request by V-C Ottaokpuku & Associates, a law firm.
According to Arise News, the firm had invoked the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to obtain access to the nationwide voters’ register. INEC, in a response dated October 13, 2025, and signed by its Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said the request was granted under the FOI Act (2011) and Section 15 of the Electoral Act (2022), which permit access to public records.
However, the commission stated that the ₦1,505,901,750 fee must be paid before the documents can be produced.
“The commission has approved your request for a copy of the National Register of Voters for the entire country and the existing polling units in all electoral wards in Nigeria,” the letter read. “You are hereby requested to pay ₦1,505,901,750 being the cost of production.”
The response has sparked public debate, with many legal experts describing the amount as excessive and contrary to the transparency goals of the FOI Act.
Reacting to the concerns, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, issued a clarification, stating that the charge strictly follows Section 8(1) of the FOI Act, which allows public institutions to recover the “actual cost of document duplication and transcription.”
She explained that the voters’ register contains 93,469,008 registered voters, printed at 16 names per page, amounting to 6,018,661 pages, in addition to 4,946 pages listing 176,848 polling units nationwide. At ₦250 per page, the total cost of printing both documents equals the approved ₦1.5 billion.
Eta-Messi added that the charge reflects only the duplication cost, emphasizing that INEC remains committed to transparency, accountability, and responsible resource management.
