By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the removal of 1,608,660 confirmed invalid voter registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons following a nationwide clean-up of the Preliminary Register of Voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Commission also disclosed that 54 persons across 10 states had been identified for their alleged involvement in irregularities associated with voter registration, warning that disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution, would be taken against those found culpable.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this while presenting the outcome of the Commission’s review of complaints, claims and objections arising from the display of the Preliminary Register of Voters conducted between October 9 and 15, 2026.
According to him, the combined number of records removed from the register stands at 1,609,553, comprising 1,608,660 invalid registrations and 873 verified deceased voters’ records.
Amupitan explained that the exercise followed public complaints about suspected multiple registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual names and registration patterns, as well as deceased persons whose names allegedly remained on the voters’ register.
He said the Commission had concluded the cleaning exercise relating to the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), adding that final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were ongoing ahead of the release of the Final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
Providing a breakdown of the exercise, the INEC chairman said the Commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR.
Of this number, the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for examination.
He clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically mean a registration was invalid, explaining that each case was subjected to authorised adjudication before a final decision was taken.
He said 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the Preliminary Register.
Following the public display and receipt of objections, claims and complaints, another 268,000 cases were subjected to adjudication.
Of these, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.
An additional 113,886 invalid registrations were subsequently identified and removed, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed invalid registrations to 1,608,660.
Amupitan said the exercise was conducted in accordance with Section 19(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides a 14-day statutory window for members of the public to raise objections and complaints against entries in the Preliminary Register.
He, however, acknowledged that the irregularities exposed by the exercise were not limited to the recent registration cycle, noting that several complaints about multiple registrations and duplicated photographs originated from historical voter records captured between 2011 and 2023.
The INEC chairman said the Commission, at its meeting on Monday, November 9, 2026, resolved to address historical duplications identified through public complaints and its internal verification processes.
He explained that the Commission had earlier announced plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise in February 2026 to strengthen the accuracy and reliability of the register.
However, the exercise was postponed following concerns from stakeholders that conducting it so close to the 2027 general elections could affect eligible voters’ participation.
Amupitan stressed that postponing the revalidation exercise did not prevent INEC from deploying existing biometric screening, verification and adjudication mechanisms to maintain the integrity of the register.
On the circumstances surrounding the irregularities, he said technical assessments revealed instances of suspected multiple registrations,
