The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved a request from a legal firm for Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the National Register of Voters but placed a price tag of over N1.5 billion on the documents, citing the cost of duplication.
The Abuja-based law firm, V.C. Ottaokpukpu & Associates, had written to the Commission under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011, seeking access to the entire voters’ register and details of all polling units nationwide.
In a response dated October 13, 2025, and signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, the Commission granted the request but insisted that the applicant must first pay N1,505,901,750 before the documents would be made available.
“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 the electoral wards in Nigeria, pursuant to Section 15 of the Electoral Act 2022,” the letter stated.
“You are hereby requested to pay the sum of N1,505,901,750 being the cost of production.
”Kindly pay the said amount into INEC’s Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) and present the proof of payment (e-receipt) in order to proceed with your request, ” the letter added.
The hefty sum has sparked widespread debate, with legal experts and civic groups raising concerns about access to electoral information and the high cost potentially undermining transparency.
INEC, however, defended the charge in a follow-up statement issued by its Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi.
According to the Commission, the cost is in line with Section 8(1) of the FOI Act, which allows public institutions to recover the actual cost of duplication and transcription when granting access to records.
“The sum quoted – N1,505,901,750 – reflects only the cost of production and not any other form of fee,” INEC said.
Breaking down the figures, the Commission explained that the National Register of Voters included records of 93,469,008 registered voters.
With 16 voter entries per page, producing this would require 6,018,661 pages.
The list of polling units currently 176,848, would take an additional 4,946 pages. This brings the total to 6,023,607 pages.
At a cost of N250 per page, as stipulated in INEC’s CTC fee guidelines, the total came to the N1.5 billion quoted.
INEC maintained that its actions were guided by both the FOI Act and the Electoral Act 2022.
It added that it remains committed to transparency, accountability, and upholding the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral processes.
Despite the clarification, civil society organisations have continued to question the accessibility of public records when financial barriers are so high.
Some critics argued that such fees discourage meaningful civic engagement and public scrutiny, particularly in a country where electoral trust remains fragile.
The law firm has not publicly commented on whether it intends to proceed with the payment or challenge the fee.
