South Africa’s decision to let citizens register to vote through WhatsApp is raising a question for Africa’s largest democracy: could Nigeria use the messaging app to make voter registration more accessible? The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa this week launched a WhatsApp voter registration service ahead of the country’s November local government elections, letting eligible citizens register, update their details, verify their address and confirm their voting station without leaving the app. Nigeria’s digital gapNigeria has digitised parts of its voter registration process, but not to this extent. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lets prospective voters begin registration online through its Continuous Voter Registration portal before completing biometric capture at designated centres. Physical verification remains a legal requirement before a Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is issued, and INEC does not currently offer voter registration through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.