INEC Removes 1.6 Million Invalid Names From Nigeria's Voter Register

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid registrants from Nigeria's voter register as part of an ongoing exercise to sanitise the database ahead of the 2027 general elections. This move follows complaints, claims and objections raised by Nigerians after the preliminary voter register was displayed nationwide between October 9 and 15, 2026. The commission also removed 873 records belonging to persons verified to be deceased.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday, November 9, 2026, while addressing journalists on the outcome of the review of the Preliminary Register of Voters. He explained that the commission received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. The commission's Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination.

According to Amupitan, 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the Preliminary Register of Voters. Following the public display of the register and subsequent complaints, another 268,000 cases underwent adjudication. Of this number, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained. The commission also identified 54 registration officials across 10 states for possible disciplinary action.

The INEC chairman clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically mean that a registration was invalid, as each case was subjected to further examination and authorised adjudication. Amupitan further disclosed that the commission had identified cases of suspected multiple registrations, substituted photographs and irregularities associated with registration transactions. Some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and abused provisions designed to accommodate exceptional registration circumstances.

Amupitan said the affected records had been identified and subjected to appropriate review and remediation, while the personnel involved had been identified for further administrative investigation. The chairman added that the commission was strengthening its registration controls through improved biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence. The clean-up exercise covered the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration alone.

However, Amupitan cautioned that the cleaning exercise would not resolve all the integrity concerns surrounding the national voters register. He explained that several suspected duplicate registrations originated from historical registration exercises conducted between 2011 and 2023. The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission decided to address the historical irregularities and directed that cases already flagged through public complaints should be removed after proper verification.

Meanwhile, distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for the first and second phases of registration, including transferred cards, was ongoing at various local government areas across the country. Amupitan appealed to Nigerians who participated in the third phase of the registration exercise to exercise patience, explaining that the production of their cards was being handled outside the country. The chairman stressed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and established election-day procedures would provide additional safeguards against multiple accreditation.

Key points

• 1,608,660 invalid registrants removed from Nigeria's voter register.
• INEC identifies 54 registration officials for possible disciplinary action.
• Commission to address historical irregularities in voter register.