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The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what it described as an outrageous and illegal attempt to frustrate access to public information by demanding over ₦1.5 billion as the cost for releasing a copy of the National Register of Voters and the list of polling units in Nigeria.

In a statement issued Thursday, October 16, 2025 in Lagos, MRA’s Executive Director, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, accused INEC of “weaponizing cost as a tool to deny access to vital electoral data,” insisting that the demand is “a blatant violation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and a calculated assault on transparency and accountability.”

MRA’s reaction followed an INEC letter dated October 13, 2025, signed by the Commission’s Secretary, Ms. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, in response to an October 8 FOI request submitted by V-C Ottackpukpu & Associates, a Lagos-based law firm. INEC reportedly pegged the cost of releasing the requested data at ₦1,505,901,750.00, an amount MRA described as “prohibitive and ridiculous.”

Mr. Ojo argued that under Section 8 (1) of the FOI Act, fees are limited to “standard charges for document duplication and transcription,” noting that ₦1.5 billion cannot, by any interpretation, constitute a standard duplication fee.

“The National Register of Voters and the list of polling units are among the most essential public records for civil society, political parties, and the media to monitor the electoral process. By erecting such a colossal financial barrier, INEC is deliberately undermining public oversight and eroding democratic accountability,” Ojo said.

He cited the 2011 FOI Implementation Guidelines issued by then-Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), which capped duplication fees at ₦10 per page, emphasizing that even at that rate, 93 million registered voters and 176,000 polling units could not amount to the astronomical figure being demanded.

Ojo also referenced the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa, which obligate election management bodies to proactively disclose voters’ rolls and polling data at no cost to the public.

According to him, INEC’s action not only contradicts this international standard but also betrays its own constitutional duty to foster public trust and conduct credible elections.

“INEC’s response sends a dangerous message that the Commission values bureaucracy and financial gain over transparency,” he warned. “If allowed to stand, this will set a precedent that undermines the entire spirit of the FOI Act and emboldens other agencies to use cost as a barrier against access to information.”

MRA therefore called on INEC to immediately withdraw the unlawful fee demand and to release the requested information free of charge, or at least in line with the modest duplication fees permitted by law.

“The FOI Act was enacted to make public records freely available, not to turn access into a billionaire’s privilege,” Ojo said. “INEC must reverse this affront to democratic openness and accountability.”