The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,533 invalid records from Nigeria's national register of voters following a nationwide clean-up exercise. The exercise, which aimed to address integrity concerns surrounding the national voters' register, exposed multiple registrations, manipulated photographs, suspicious registration patterns, and entries belonging to deceased persons. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this information while briefing journalists on the outcome of the review of the Preliminary Register of Voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The clean-up exercise, which followed the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and subsequent public scrutiny of the preliminary register, is part of INEC's efforts to ensure the integrity of the national voters' register. Amupitan explained that the commission removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased voters. The commission had concluded the cleaning exercise relating to the latest CVR, while final reconciliation, quality assurance, and publication checks were ongoing ahead of the release of the Final Register of Voters scheduled for December 15, 2026.
According to Amupitan, the current national register evolved through successive registration and continuous voter registration exercises since 2011, with biometric and demographic data collected under different technologies, operational arrangements, and quality standards. Although the register had undergone cleansing and biometric comparisons at different stages, historical integrity concerns remained and required a systematic national response. The review was conducted in accordance with Section 19(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides for public objections, claims, and complaints against the Preliminary Register of Voters within 14 days of its display.
The INEC chairman gave a breakdown of the exercise, stating that the commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the CVR exercise. The Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination. Of the records subjected to further scrutiny, 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the Preliminary Register. Following the receipt of complaints, claims, and objections during the seven-day display exercise, the commission subjected an additional 268,000 cases to adjudication.
Amupitan disclosed that 217,722 of the cases were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained in the register. Subsequent screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of invalid records removed after the review to 331,608. These were in addition to the 1,277,052 registrations earlier excluded, while the 873 records belonging to deceased voters were treated as a separate category. The chairman said the findings exposed deliberate attempts to circumvent established registration procedures.
The INEC chairman identified 54 personnel across 10 states allegedly involved in registration irregularities, warning that those found culpable would face administrative disciplinary measures and possible prosecution. Amupitan cautioned that the latest exercise had not completely resolved the integrity concerns surrounding the national register, noting that several irregularities predated the 2025/2026 registration exercise. He said many of the complaints involving multiple registrations and suspicious photographs circulating on social media concerned historical records captured between 2011 and 2023.
Amupitan advised affected voters to check their former registration locations rather than assume that their names had been completely removed from the register. On allegations that artificial intelligence-generated photographs were being used to compromise voter registration, Amupitan confirmed that the commission had identified cases involving manipulated images and was introducing additional safeguards. The commission had approved a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework to regulate the responsible deployment of AI in its operations.
Key points
- INEC removes 1.6m invalid voters from Nigeria's national register
- 54 officials identified for disciplinary action over registration irregularities
- Commission introduces additional safeguards to prevent AI-generated photographs in voter registration
Reporting sources
- INEC Purges 1.6m Invalid Voters, Flags 54 Officials · Independent Nigeria
