INEC Deletes 1.6 Million Invalid Voter Records, Identifies 54 Officials for Disciplinary Action
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has removed 1,609,553 records from the national register of voters following the conclusion of its clean-up of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
The Commission also identified 54 persons across ten states for their alleged involvement in registration irregularities, with disciplinary action and possible prosecution expected.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday, November 9, 2026, during a press conference at the Commission’s headquarters on the outcome of the review and publication of the Preliminary Register of Voters.
He explained that the deleted records comprised 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 entries belonging to verified deceased persons.
Amupitan revealed that the Commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records during the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise, out of which its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 for further examination.
He clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically render a registration invalid, as each case was subjected to review and authorised adjudication before a decision was reached.
He said that 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the Preliminary Register, while another 268,000 cases were subjected to adjudication following claims, objections, and complaints received during the public display.
Of the cases reviewed, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained in the register. An additional 113,886 invalid registrations were identified through further screening and subsequently deleted.
On the circumstances surrounding the irregularities, the INEC Chairman stated that technical assessment uncovered suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs, and irregularities in registration transactions.
He added that the investigation revealed instances in which some registration personnel deliberately bypassed established procedures and abused provisions designed for exceptional registration circumstances, including those involving persons with disabilities.
The Chairman affirmed that the 54 persons identified across ten states had been linked to the irregularities and would face necessary administrative disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution.
He also disclosed that the Commission was strengthening its registration processes through improved biometric capture, authentication, and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
The clean-up followed complaints and objections raised by members of the public during the display of the Preliminary Register at ward level between October 9 and 15, 2026, and its subsequent online publication.
Some of the complaints concerned apparently manipulated photographs, duplicate registration attempts, unusual names, and registration patterns, as well as deceased persons whose details remained on the register.
Amupitan said that the Commission allowed the 14-day statutory period provided under Section 19(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, to expire before announcing the outcome of the exercise.
He declared that the Final Register of Voters would be published on December 15, 2026, adding that final reconciliation, quality assurance, and publication checks were still ongoing to ensure that all approved changes were properly reflected.
However, he cautioned that the latest clean-up would not address all concerns surrounding the integrity of the national register, noting that some of the duplicate names and photographs circulating on social media originated from the older register covering the period between 2011 and 2023.
He explained that the national register had evolved through successive registration exercises conducted under different technologies, operational arrangements, and quality standards, leaving historical integrity issues that required a broader response.
Consequently, the Commission resolved at its meeting on November 9 to begin addressing duplications in the older register, with cases already identified through complaints and other obvious instances to be removed after proper verification.
INEC had earlier announced a nationwide voter revalidation exercise in February 2026 but postponed it until after the 2027 general elections following concerns from stakeholders about its proximity to the polls and its potential impact on voter participation.
Amupitan emphasised that the postponement did not prevent the Commission from using existing mechanisms, including biometric screening, adjudication, and statutory claims and objections, to maintain the integrity of the register.
While addressing complaints from voters who claimed their names had been omitted, he noted that most affected persons had registered between 2011 and 2023 and subsequently registered again instead of transferring their existing registration to their new locations.
He explained that ABIS invalidated the subsequent registrations, while their original records remained at their previous registration locations, advising affected voters to check those locations.
On Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), the Chairman confirmed that the distribution of cards from Phases 1 and 2, alongside transferred PVCs, was ongoing at Local Government Area offices nationwide.
Amupitan added that some cards from the third and final phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to states by the following week, while distribution would return to Registration Areas from December 1, 2026.
He also assured Nigerians that safeguards would be in place to prevent multiple voting during the 2027 elections, stressing that voters must be physically present at their designated polling units and undergo biometric accreditation through fingerprint or facial recognition using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
