INEC Removes 1.6m Invalid, Deceased Voter Records

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from the preliminary register of voters following a nationwide cleaning exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The records comprise 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 entries belonging to verified deceased persons.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a press conference on the display and publication of the Preliminary Register of Voters.

He said the exercise followed complaints, claims and objections raised by members of the public after the preliminary register was displayed at registration area centres between October 9 and 15, 2026, and subsequently published online.

Amupitan explained that the commission had concluded the cleaning exercise covering the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), adding that the affected records had been identified and removed.

According to him, the commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the exercise, out of which its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 for further examination.

He, however, clarified that being flagged by the system did not automatically make a registration invalid, as each case was subjected to further examination and authorised adjudication.

He said 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the preliminary register.

Following the complaints received during the public display, Amupitan said another 268,000 cases underwent adjudication, with 217,722 confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.

He added that subsequent screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, which were also removed.

The chairman said the post-display review brought the cumulative number of confirmed invalid registrations removed to 331,608, in addition to the 873 verified deceased voters’ records.

“The combined total of records removed under these two categories is 1,609,553,” he said.

Amupitan disclosed that the commission had also identified 54 persons across 10 states suspected of complicity in the irregularities, adding that disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution, would be taken against those found culpable.

He said the commission’s technical assessment uncovered cases of suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and irregularities associated with registration transactions.

According to him, some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and abused provisions designed to accommodate exceptional registration circumstances, including registration for persons with disabilities.

“The affected records have been identified and subjected to the appropriate review and remediation processes, while the associated personnel have been identified for further administrative investigation,” he said.

The INEC chairman said the commission was strengthening its registration controls through improved biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence.

However, he warned that the cleaning of the 2025/2026 CVR records alone would not address all the integrity concerns surrounding the national register, as historical records from previous registration exercises between 2011 and 2023 still contained suspected duplications.

He said most of the duplicate names and photographs circulated on social media following the publication of the preliminary register related to the historical records.

Amupitan disclosed that the commission, at its meeting on Monday, November 9, decided to extend its review to the older records, directing that previously flagged cases and obvious instances of duplication be removed after proper verification.

The commission had earlier announced plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise in February 2026 to address inconsistencies in historical registration records and improve the quality of the register.

However, the exercise was postponed following concerns from stakeholders that conducting it close to the 2027 general elections could affect the participation of eligible voters.

Amupitan said the postponement did not suspend the commission’s existing mechanisms for maintaining the integrity of the register, including biometric screening, adjudication and statutory claims and objections.

On complaints by some voters that their names were missing from the preliminary register, the INEC chairman said investigations showed that many of them had registered between 2011 and 2023 before registering again instead of transferring their voter registration to their new locations.

He explained that ABIS invalidated their subsequent registrations because of the duplication, while their original records remained at their previous polling locations.

He advised affected voters to check the locations where they initially registered to confirm their status.

On the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Amupitan said the distribution of cards from the first and second phases of the CVR, alongside transferred PVCs, was ongoing at local government areas across the country.

He added that some cards from the third and final phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to states by next week.

According to him, distribution would return to registration areas nationwide from December 1, 2026, urging those who participated in the third phase to exercise patience because the cards were produced outside the country.

The chairman assured eligible voters that the commission would not allow the cleaning exercise to result in the wrongful exclusion of genuine voters.

He also said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the commission’s election-day procedures would provide additional safeguards against multiple accreditation and voting.

He explained that voters would be required to appear physically at their designated polling units for biometric authentication through fingerprint or facial recognition.

The final register of voters, according to Amupitan, would be published on December 15, 2026, after the completion of reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks.

He said the commission would continue to communicate verified outcomes while protecting personal information and the integrity of ongoing investigations.