INEC Removes 1.6 Million Invalid Voter Records, Identifies 54 Officials Over Registration Irregularities

INEC Removes 1.6 Million Invalid Voter Records, Identifies 54 Officials Over Registration Irregularities

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed more than 1.6 million invalid records from the national register of voters following a nationwide review ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday, November 9, 2026, during a press briefing at the commission's headquarters in Abuja.

According to him, the clean-up exercise resulted in the removal of 1,608,660 confirmed invalid voter registrations from the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. The commission also removed records belonging to verified deceased voters.

Amupitan explained that the exercise followed complaints and objections raised by Nigerians after the preliminary voters' register was displayed at registration wards between October 9 and 15, 2026.

The complaints reportedly involved duplicate registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual registration patterns and the inclusion of deceased persons in the register.

54 INEC Personnel Identified

The INEC chairman also disclosed that 54 personnel across 10 states had been identified in connection with registration irregularities.

He said the commission would take disciplinary action against those found responsible, including possible prosecution.

According to Amupitan, investigations uncovered instances where some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and misused provisions meant for exceptional registration circumstances, including those involving persons with disabilities.

How the Invalid Registrations Were Discovered

INEC received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise.

The commission's Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination.

Amupitan clarified that being flagged by the system did not automatically mean a registration was invalid, as each case had to undergo further review.

Following the assessment, 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded before the preliminary register was published.

After receiving public complaints, another 268,000 cases were reviewed. Of these, 217,722 were confirmed invalid, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.

An additional screening exercise identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of confirmed invalid registrations removed to 1,608,660.

Final Voters' Register Expected in December

INEC said the cleaning exercise for the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration has been concluded, while final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks are ongoing.

The commission is expected to publish the final register of voters on December 15, 2026.

The development comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the commission assuring Nigerians that it is strengthening its registration procedures to prevent a recurrence of the irregularities.