Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from the voters register following a comprehensive cleaning exercise, with 54 registration personnel across 10 states identified for disciplinary action, including possible prosecution, over alleged complicity in registration irregularities.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday during a press conference on the display and publication of the Preliminary Register of Voters, assuring Nigerians that the Commission had addressed complaints arising from the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
Amupitan said the figure comprised 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons.
He explained that the exercise followed complaints, claims and objections received during the display of the Preliminary Register of Voters at wards between October 9 and 15, 2026, as well as its subsequent online publication.
According to him, the complaints included suspected multiple registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual registration patterns and deceased persons whose names remained on the register.
Amupitan said the Commission had concluded the cleaning exercise for the 2025/2026 CVR, while final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were ongoing ahead of the release of the Final Register on December 15, 2026.
He noted that the Commission was required under Section 19(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, to consider public objections, claims and complaints within 14 days of the display of the Preliminary Register.
Giving a breakdown of the exercise, the Chairman said INEC harvested 11,088,238 records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR, out of which the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for examination.
He clarified that flagged records were not necessarily invalid, as automated screening only identified cases requiring further review and adjudication.
He said 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the Preliminary Register.
Following public complaints, an additional 268,000 cases were subjected to adjudication, with 217,722 confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.
Amupitan added that subsequent screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of invalid records removed after the objections and complaints to 331,608.
He said the removal of the 873 verified deceased voters brought the total number of records excluded from the register to 1,609,553.
The INEC chairman, however, warned that the exercise had not resolved all integrity concerns associated with the national register, particularly those inherited from previous registration exercises between 2011 and 2023.
He said most of the multiple registrations and duplicated names and photographs circulated on social media originated from the historical register.
According to him, the Commission, at its meeting on November 9, 2026, directed that previously flagged cases and obvious duplications in the old register should be removed after proper verification.
The INEC Boss also explained that some voters who complained about the omission of their names had registered between 2011 and 2023 but later re-registered at new locations instead of transferring their registration.
He said such second registrations were voided by ABIS, while their original records remained in their previous locations, advising affected voters to check where they initially registered.
On the causes of the irregularities, the INEC chairman said a technical assessment revealed instances where registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and misused provisions meant for exceptional registration circumstances, including those involving persons with disabilities.
He said the affected records had been identified and subjected to appropriate review and remediation, while the personnel involved had been identified for administrative investigation.
“To prevent recurrence, the Commission is strengthening its registration controls with enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards,” he said.
The chairman disclosed that INEC had deferred its proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 general elections following concerns from stakeholders about its proximity to the polls and possible impact on eligible voters.
He said the postponement would not affect existing mechanisms for maintaining the integrity of the register, including biometric screening, adjudication, statutory claims and objections, and other verification procedures.
Amupitan assured Nigerians that the Commission remained committed to removing invalid entries without wrongfully excluding eligible voters.
He said public observations, documented claims and objections, as well as verified submissions from state offices, remained important inputs in the process.
The INEC chairman further explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the Commission’s Standard Operating Procedures would provide safeguards against multiple accreditation and voting during the 2027 elections.
According to him, every voter would be required to be physically present at their designated polling unit and undergo biometric authentication using either fingerprints or facial recognition.
He said the process would verify voters’ identities against the register and record successful accreditation, with controls designed to prevent the same voter from being accredited more than once.
On the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Amupitan said the distribution of cards from Phases One and Two of the CVR, including transferred PVCs, was ongoing at local government areas across the country.
He added that some PVCs from the third and final phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to states the following week.
The chairman said distribution would return to Registration Areas nationwide from December 1, 2026, urging voters who participated in the third phase to exercise patience as the cards were being produced outside the country.
He said INEC would continue to communicate verifiable aggregate outcomes while protecting personal information and the integrity of ongoing investigations.
