The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1.6 million invalid voter registrations from its database ahead of Nigeria's 2027 elections. INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan disclosed that 11,088,238 records generated during the 2025-26 Continuous Voter Registration exercise were examined, and 1,608,660, approximately 14.5 per cent, were confirmed invalid and excluded. The commission's Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged 1,545,052 registrations for examination.
Nearly 80 per cent of the rejected registrations had been excluded before INEC's announcement, rather than newly deleted that day. The commission had excluded 1,277,052 invalid records before publishing the preliminary register in October. Following public complaints, INEC examined another 268,000 cases, rejecting 217,722 and clearing 50,278 as valid. Further screening identified 113,886 additional invalid entries, bringing the total to 1,608,660.
INEC also identified 54 registration personnel for investigation, citing suspected multiple registrations, substituted photographs, and irregular registration patterns. The chairman said some personnel allegedly circumvented procedures intended for exceptional registration circumstances, including assistance for persons with disabilities. INEC acknowledged that questionable records from registration exercises conducted between 2011 and 2023 remained in its system.
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has pledged ₦10 million to councillors who deliver their wards for President Bola Tinubu. Wike made the promise during a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders' meeting in Kwali Area Council, urging them to engage community leaders, youth groups, and local associations to mobilise support. The pledge has sparked debate over whether it constitutes prohibited inducement or lawful campaign expenditure.
The APC has set vote targets in Ebonyi far above the number of voters accredited there during the 2023 presidential election. At an APC presidential rally in Abakaliki, campaign council director-general Abdulaziz Yari set a minimum target of 1.2 million votes for Mr Tinubu. Minister of Works David Umahi spoke of delivering 1.3 million, according to reports. The targets substantially exceed the number of voters accredited in Ebonyi during the previous presidential election.
Abba Atiku, a son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has led his political organisation to declare support for President Bola Tinubu in Jigawa. Abba announced plans to incorporate his Haske political organisation's state structure into the APC in support of the president's re-election. The group's director-general, Usman Meyari, cited an informal understanding about rotating presidential power between northern and southern Nigeria.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked INEC to preserve its disputed leadership records, while 375 judges were inaugurated in Abuja for election petition duties. INEC has deferred a proposed nationwide revalidation exercise until after the elections but said it would continue examining historical irregularities through existing complaints and verification procedures.
Key points
- INEC removed 1.6 million invalid voter registrations from its database ahead of Nigeria's 2027 elections.
- Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike pledged ₦10 million to councillors who deliver their wards for President Bola Tinubu.
- The APC has set ambitious vote targets in Ebonyi, sparking debate over the party's strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.
