The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations from Nigeria’s voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections, while identifying 54 persons across 10 states for disciplinary action and possible prosecution over alleged manipulation of the registration process.
The commission also announced the removal of 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons, bringing the total number of deleted records to 1,609,553 following an extensive screening and verification exercise conducted during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday night, explaining that the exercise involved biometric screening, investigations into public complaints and adjudication of irregularities discovered during the registration process.
Amupitan said investigations uncovered cases in which some registration personnel deliberately bypassed established procedures, including the misuse of special provisions designed to accommodate exceptional registration circumstances involving persons with disabilities.
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According to him, the commission considered the alleged misconduct serious enough to warrant further investigation and appropriate sanctions against those involved.
“54 persons cutting across ten states have been identified as complicit and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them including possible prosecution,” the INEC chairman stated.
INEC Explains How 1.6 Million Invalid Records Were Identified
Providing details of the exercise, Amupitan disclosed that INEC harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise.
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He explained that the commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination.
However, he clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically mean a registration was invalid, as every affected record underwent further verification and adjudication before a final decision was reached.
“Of these, ABIS initially flagged 1,545,052 for examination. A flagged record is not necessarily an invalid registration: automated screening identifies matters requiring review, while authorized adjudication determines the outcome,” he said.
The INEC chairman explained that 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the preliminary register.
An additional 268,000 cases were subsequently subjected to adjudication following objections, claims and complaints received during the public display of the preliminary register.
Of those cases, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid registrations and retained.
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He added that subsequent screening uncovered another 113,886 invalid registrations, which were also deleted.
This brought the cumulative number of confirmed invalid registrations removed to 1,608,660.
The commission further clarified that the 873 verified deceased voters’ records were treated as a separate category, bringing the combined number of deleted records to 1,609,553.
54 Persons Face Disciplinary Action Over Alleged Manipulation
Amupitan disclosed that the technical assessment uncovered suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and other irregularities associated with registration transactions.
He said investigations revealed that some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and misused provisions intended for exceptional registration circumstances.
The chairman explained that the affected records had been identified and subjected to appropriate review and remedial processes, while personnel allegedly connected to the irregularities had been identified for further administrative investigation.
He assured Nigerians that the commission would strengthen its registration procedures through improved biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.
INEC Raises Concerns Over Multiple Registrations From Historical Data
The INEC chairman also expressed concern that many of the complaints relating to multiple registrations originated from historical voter data captured between 2011 and 2023, when earlier generations of registration technology were in use.
He said the commission had identified the need to improve the quality and reliability of its voter database, particularly records captured using older registration systems.
In February 2026, INEC announced plans to conduct a nationwide voter revalidation exercise as part of efforts to update biometric information, resolve outstanding registration inconsistencies and improve voter accreditation during elections.
However, the commission later decided to postpone the exercise following concerns from stakeholders about its proximity to the 2027 general elections and the possibility of disenfranchising eligible voters.
Amupitan explained that the decision to defer the nationwide exercise was taken to protect the participation rights of eligible Nigerians.
“However, following concerns expressed by stakeholders about the proximity of the exercise to the 2027 general elections and its potential impact on the participation of eligible voters, and the public, the Commission decided to defer the exercise until after the elections,” he said.
Final Voters’ Register to Be Published December 15
Despite postponing the nationwide revalidation exercise, Amupitan stressed that INEC had not abandoned its responsibility to maintain an accurate and credible voters’ register.
He explained that existing mechanisms, including biometric screening, adjudication, statutory claims and objections, as well as other verification procedures, would remain operational.
“Importantly, the postponement of the revalidation exercise did not suspend the commission’s existing mechanisms for maintaining the integrity of the Register. Biometric screening, adjudication, statutory claims and objections, and other established verification procedures remain integral to the preparation of the Final Register of Voters,” he stated.
The commission confirmed that the clean-up exercise relating to the 2025/2026 CVR had been concluded, with all confirmed invalid registrations and verified deceased voters’ records removed.
INEC, however, said final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were still ongoing to ensure that all approved changes were accurately reflected in the final voters’ register.
The commission scheduled December 15, 2026, for the publication of the final register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The latest development comes as INEC intensifies efforts to strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral database and address concerns surrounding voter registration irregularities ahead of the next general elections.
