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INEC removes 1,609,553 invalid voter registrations and records of deceased persons ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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54 electoral personnel across 10 states face disciplinary action and possible prosecution over alleged registration infractions.
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Automated Biometric Identification System flags 1.5 million records for scrutiny, with further invalid entries removed after public objections.
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Commission targets December 15 for publication of the final voter register as PVC distribution continues nationwide.
November 9, (THEWILL) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expunged 1,609,553 invalid entries and records of deceased persons from the National Register of Voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, while identifying 54 electoral personnel across 10 states for alleged involvement in registration irregularities.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday at a news conference in Abuja, where he outlined the outcome of the commission’s nationwide voter register cleanup and measures to address longstanding data integrity challenges.
He said the commission had commenced disciplinary proceedings against the affected personnel, with possible prosecution for those found culpable in the alleged infractions.
The cleanup comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the commission seeking to address inaccuracies arising from successive voter registration exercises and improve the reliability of the national register.
54 Officials Face Disciplinary Action
On alleged internal administrative breaches, Amupitan said technical assessments had uncovered deliberate sabotage by some electoral personnel.
He alleged that the affected officials abused special registration provisions designed to accommodate Persons Living with Disabilities (PwDs), thereby compromising the integrity of the registration process.
According to him, 54 personnel across 10 states had been identified as complicit in the alleged infractions.
He said the commission would take appropriate disciplinary measures against those involved, including possible prosecution, depending on the outcome of investigations.
Amupitan maintained that INEC would strengthen its internal controls to prevent a recurrence of the identified breaches.
ABIS Flags 1.5m Records For Scrutiny
Providing details of the voter register cleanup, the chairman said the exercise was conducted using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which examined records harvested across three phases.
He disclosed that 11,088,238 records were harvested for examination, out of which 1,545,052 were initially flagged by the system for further scrutiny.
He, however, cautioned against treating every flagged record as an invalid registration, explaining that the system’s identification of possible irregularities was only the first stage of the verification process.
According to him, each flagged case required further examination and authorised adjudication before a determination could be made.
Amupitan said 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the preliminary voter register.
Following the public display of the register, another 268,000 cases were subjected to adjudication, resulting in the removal of 217,722 invalid entries.
He said 50,278 records were cleared as valid after examination, while another 113,886 invalid registrations were identified and removed.
The chairman put the cumulative number of confirmed invalid registrations removed following the process involving objections, claims and complaints at 331,608. He added that 873 separately verified records of deceased voters were also removed from the register.
The commission gave the combined total of records removed under the two categories as 1,609,553.
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Public Objections Trigger Further Removals
Amupitan said the additional removals followed complaints, claims and objections received during the public display of the preliminary voter register at ward level between October 9 and October 15.
He said the exercise also accommodated submissions through the commission’s online platform, allowing voters to report suspected irregularities in the register.
According to him, the National Register of Voters has evolved through successive registration and Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercises since 2011, resulting in historical data integrity challenges that required a systematic national response.
He said the commission was addressing the accumulated inconsistencies through biometric verification, adjudication and public scrutiny.
Amupitan disclosed that final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were ongoing ahead of the scheduled release of the updated National Register of Voters on December 15.
INEC Explains Duplicate Photographs, Missing Names
The INEC chairman also addressed concerns raised on social media over duplicate photographs, unusual names and other apparent anomalies in the voter register.
He attributed most of the cases to legacy data captured between 2011 and 2023, explaining that inconsistencies accumulated over successive registration exercises had contributed to the anomalies.
Amupitan recalled that INEC had postponed a nationwide voter revalidation exercise initially scheduled for February 2026 until after the 2027 general elections to avoid possible voter disenfranchisement.
However, he said the commission had resolved to address historical duplications in the existing register without waiting for the postponed nationwide revalidation exercise.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC, at its meeting on Monday, directed the removal of previously flagged cases after proper verification. He also clarified that some voters who complained about missing names had re-registered instead of applying for transfers when changing their polling locations.
According to him, ABIS automatically voided the duplicate registrations, while preserving the affected voters’ original records in the register.
PVC Distribution Continues Nationwide
On the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Amupitan said collection for the first and second phases of registration remained ongoing at Local Government Area offices across the country. He added that distribution of PVCs for voters who applied for transfers was also continuing.
The chairman said some cards produced for the third and final registration phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to the states by the following week. He said distribution would return to Registration Areas nationwide from December 1.
Amupitan appealed to voters registered during the third phase to exercise patience, explaining that the overseas printing of their PVCs was being concluded. He assured Nigerians that the commission’s established operating procedures and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would ensure physical biometric authentication at polling units during the elections.
According to him, the measures would prevent multiple voting and strengthen the integrity of the electoral process.
“The response is evidence-led investigation, completed corrective action, and stronger preventive controls,” Amupitan said, adding that INEC would continue publishing verifiable aggregate information on the cleanup exercise while protecting voters’ personal information and ensuring that ongoing investigations were not compromised.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
