INEC removes 1.6m invalid registrations from voters’ register

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations from the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections and identified 54 persons across 10 states for disciplinary action and possible prosecution over alleged manipulation of the registration process.

The commission also disclosed that 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons had been deleted, bringing the combined number of records removed to 1,609,553, following biometric screening, investigation of complaints and adjudication of irregularities uncovered during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday night, said investigations revealed that some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures, including the misuse of special provisions intended for exceptional registration circumstances involving persons with disabilities.

He said the commission considered the scale of the irregularities serious enough to warrant an investigation into how they occurred and the identities of those responsible, assuring Nigerians that appropriate sanctions would follow.

“54 persons cutting across ten states have been identified as complicit and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them including possible prosecution,” Amupitan declared.

The INEC chairman explained that the commission had harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise, out of which its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 for further examination.

He, however, clarified that records flagged by the automated system were not automatically invalid, as they were subjected to verification and adjudication before a final determination was made.

“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 authorised adjudication determines the outcome,” he said.

According to him, 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the preliminary register, while a further 268,000 cases underwent adjudication following objections, claims and complaints received during the public display of the register.

Of the 268,000 cases, he said, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.

He added that subsequent screening uncovered another 113,886 invalid registrations, which were also deleted, bringing the cumulative number of invalid registrations removed to 1,608,660.

“The cumulative total of confirmed invalid registrations removed after the objections, claims and complaints is 331,608, in addition to the 873 separately verified deceased voters’ records.

This brings the total clean-up to 1,608,660,” he said.

Clarifying the figures, Amupitan said the 1,608,660 represented confirmed invalid registrations, while the 873 deceased voters constituted a separate category, bringing the overall number of deleted records to 1,609,553.

“The Commission confirms that the current register-cleaning exercise for the 2025/2026 CVR has been concluded. All 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations have been removed. In addition, 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons have also been removed as a separate category.

“The combined total of records removed under these two categories is 1,609,553. Final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks remain to ensure that approved changes are accurately reflected in the final register, scheduled for publication on 15 December 2026.

“With this, the complaints and irregularities raised by the public on the preliminary register for the 2025/2026 CVR have been addressed,” he said.

Amupitan disclosed that the technical assessment covered suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and other irregularities associated with registration transactions.

He said the investigation uncovered instances in which registration personnel deliberately bypassed established procedures and misused provisions designed to accommodate exceptional circumstances.

“The commission considers the 1,609,553 as significant enough to warrant an examination of how it occurred and those responsible for this.

“The technical assessment examined suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and irregularities associated with registration transactions.

“The commission found instances in which certain registration personnel deliberately circumvented established registration procedures and misused provisions intended for exceptional registration circumstances, including for persons with disabilities,” he said.

The chairman explained that the affected records had been identified and subjected to appropriate review and remedial processes, while personnel linked to the irregularities had been identified for further administrative investigation.

He said INEC was strengthening registration controls through enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence.

Amupitan also expressed concern that many complaints of multiple registrations originated from historical voter data captured between 2011 and 2023, when earlier generations of registration technology were in use.

“A major source of concern for the commission is that most of the current complaints of multiple registration of candidates arose from the historical data of 2011 to 2023,” he said.

He recalled that INEC had announced plans in February 2026 to conduct a nationwide voter revalidation exercise as part of broader efforts to improve the accuracy, quality and reliability of the register, particularly records captured with older registration technology.

According to him, the proposed exercise was intended to update biometric information, resolve outstanding registration inconsistencies, improve accreditation during elections and strengthen the overall quality of voter records.

He explained that the commission subsequently deferred the exercise following concerns expressed by stakeholders over its proximity to the 2027 general elections and the possibility of disenfranchising eligible voters.

“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.

The INEC chairman stressed that postponing the nationwide revalidation exercise did not mean abandoning efforts to eliminate irregularities from the register.

“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 said.

He assured Nigerians that the commission would complete the remaining reconciliation and quality assurance procedures before publishing the final register on December 15, 2026, ahead of the general elections.