‘We Charge N250 Per Page For Over 6million Pages’ — INEC Defends ₦1.5billion Fee To Release Voters Register, Polling Unit Data

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended its controversial demand of ₦1.5billion from a law firm that requested copies of the national register of voters and polling unit data.

The commission said the fee merely represents the “actual cost of document duplication and transcription.”

In a clarification issued on Thursday, October 16, 2025, and signed by Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, the Commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, INEC said the cost was calculated in strict compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011 and the Electoral Act 2022.

“For clarity, the National Register of Voters for all 36 states and the FCT contains 93,469,008 registered voters, with 16 voters per page, requiring 6,018,661 pages,” the commission said in the statement titled “Clarification On Cost Of National Register Of Voters And Polling Units Request.”

“Printing the existing polling units in the electoral wards across the country, covering 176,848 polling units, will require 4,946 pages. The total number of pages to be printed for both requests is therefore 6,023,607, at a unit cost of ₦250 per page, resulting in the total sum of ₦1,505,901,750.”

INEC insisted that the amount was not arbitrary, saying it simply reflects the volume of documentation requested.

“This figure reflects only the actual costs of document duplication and transcription and does not include any other charges,” the Commission stated.

“INEC remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the responsible management of public resources.”

The Commission’s explanation followed public outrage after a spread of a letter dated October 13, 2025, in which INEC demanded ₦1,505,901,750 from a Lagos-based law firm, V.C. Ottaokpukpu & Associates, before granting access to the requested data.

The letter, signed by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, Secretary to the Commission, and referenced INEC/VR/CTCGM/33464/1, confirmed that INEC had approved the firm’s request but required payment upfront.
It read in part: “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.

“You are hereby requested to pay the sum of One Billion, Five Hundred and Five Million, Nine Hundred and One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira only (₦1,505,901,750) being the cost of production of the above.”

INEC directed the firm to make payment through its Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) system before the request could be processed.

“Kindly pay the said amount into INEC Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) (www.remita.com) and present the proof of payment (e-receipt) in order to proceed with your request,” the letter added.  (SaharaReporters)