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

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from Nigeria's voters' register following a nationwide verification exercise. The exercise uncovered multiple registrations, irregular photographs, and other suspected registration violations. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, disclosed this while addressing journalists on the outcome of the review of the Preliminary Register of Voters. The review followed complaints received during the public display and online publication of the register.

The removed records comprised 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 entries belonging to verified deceased voters. The exercise followed public complaints and objections raised during the display of the Preliminary Register of Voters at ward levels between October 9 and 15, 2026. The commission had concluded the cleaning exercise relating to the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). Final reconciliation and quality assurance processes are ongoing ahead of the publication of the Final Register on December 15, 2026.

During the 2025/2026 CVR, the commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases. The Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination. Being flagged did not automatically mean a registration was invalid. The commission confirmed that 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the Preliminary Register.

Following complaints, claims, and objections submitted by members of the public, another 268,000 cases underwent adjudication. Of these, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained. The commission subsequently identified another 113,886 invalid registrations through additional screening, bringing the total number of invalid registrations removed after public objections to 331,608.

INEC has commenced investigations into how the irregularities occurred, particularly cases involving suspected multiple registrations, substituted photographs, unusual registration patterns, and manipulation of registration transactions. Preliminary findings showed that some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and abused provisions designed to accommodate exceptional registration circumstances.

The affected records have been identified and subjected to verification and remediation, while personnel allegedly involved have been identified for administrative investigation. INEC is strengthening its registration procedures through improved biometric capture, authentication, and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence. However, the chairman warned that cleaning up the 2025/2026 registration records alone would not resolve all integrity concerns surrounding the national voters' register.

A significant number of suspected duplicate registrations and irregular records originated from historical registration exercises conducted between 2011 and 2023. INEC has resolved to address the historical irregularities and directed that previously flagged cases and obvious instances of duplication should be removed after proper verification. The commission plans to conduct a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to strengthen the accuracy and reliability of the register, although it was postponed due to concerns from stakeholders.

Key points

• 54 officials were identified as complicit in registration fraud.
• 1.6 million invalid voter records were removed from Nigeria's voters' register.
• INEC is strengthening its registration procedures to prevent a recurrence of irregularities.