The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has removed more than 1.6 million invalid voter registrations and records of deceased persons from the preliminary voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission also identified 54 electoral personnel across 10 states for alleged involvement in registration irregularities, warning that those found culpable could face disciplinary action and prosecution.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed the developments on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of the nationwide review of the preliminary register.
He said the clean-up followed complaints, claims and objections submitted by Nigerians after the preliminary register was displayed at registration areas between October 9 and 15, with additional submissions received online.
ABIS screening identifies millions of questionable records
Amupitan said INEC harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The commission subjected the records to screening through its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which initially flagged 1,545,052 entries for further examination.
He cautioned that being flagged by the system did not automatically make a registration invalid, explaining that each case had to undergo further examination and authorised adjudication.
Before the preliminary register was published, 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded.
Following the public display, another 268,000 cases were reviewed. Of these, 217,722 were declared invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.
Further screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations.
According to the commission, the additional invalid registrations removed after public objections and subsequent screening brought that category to 331,608. The commission also removed 873 records belonging to people verified as deceased.
INEC announced a combined removal figure of 1,609,553 records. However, the detailed figures provided by the chairman add up to 1,609,533 — a difference of 20 records that requires clarification from the commission.
54 electoral personnel face disciplinary action
The INEC chairman said a technical assessment uncovered instances in which some registration personnel allegedly bypassed established procedures and misused special registration provisions, including those intended to accommodate Persons with Disabilities.
He said 54 individuals across 10 states had been identified as allegedly complicit in the infractions.
The commission, he added, would take appropriate administrative measures, including possible prosecution, against personnel found responsible.
Amupitan said the affected registrations had been identified and subjected to review and corrective procedures, while investigations into the conduct of the personnel involved would continue.
INEC explains suspicious entries and missing voter names
The commission also addressed public concerns over duplicate photographs, unusual names and suspected artificial intelligence-generated images that appeared in the preliminary register.
Amupitan attributed many of the anomalies to legacy records accumulated through successive voter registration exercises between 2011 and 2023.
He explained that the national register had evolved through different registration technologies and operational standards, creating historical data-integrity challenges that required systematic attention.
He also said some voters who complained that their names had disappeared from the register had registered afresh instead of applying for transfers when they relocated.
According to him, the biometric system invalidated their subsequent registrations, while their original records remained at their previous registration locations.
The chairman said INEC had postponed a nationwide voter revalidation exercise planned for February 2026 until after the 2027 elections to avoid possible disenfranchisement.
He said the commission had instead resolved to address historical duplications through verification and other corrective measures.
Final voters’ register due December 15
Amupitan said final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were ongoing ahead of the scheduled release of the final register on December 15.
He said the commission would continue to publish verifiable aggregate information while protecting voters’ personal details and the integrity of ongoing investigations.
On Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), the chairman said collection for the first and second phases remained ongoing at local government area offices nationwide.
Distribution of PVCs for voters who transferred their registration was also continuing, while cards for the third phase were being delivered and were expected to be dispatched to states the following week.
He said distribution would return to registration areas nationwide from December 1, urging third-phase registrants to remain patient while the overseas printing of their cards was completed.
INEC assures voters of biometric safeguards
The chairman reassured Nigerians that the commission’s established procedures and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would require physical biometric authentication at polling units.
He said the safeguards were intended to prevent multiple voting and strengthen the credibility of the electoral process.
Amupitan described the clean-up as an evidence-based response to concerns raised about the voters’ register, adding that INEC would strengthen its registration controls through improved biometric capture, authentication and verification.
The exercise comes as the commission prepares for the 2027 general elections, with the accuracy and credibility of the national voters’ register expected to remain central to public confidence in the electoral process.
