The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid voter registration records from the preliminary register of voters following a nationwide verification exercise conducted after the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
The commission also deleted 1,749 voter registration records belonging to deceased persons after verification. The figure comprises 876 records initially identified and another 873 discovered during a subsequent review.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the review of the preliminary voters’ register.
According to him, the commission received a total of 11,088,238 registration records across the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
He explained that INEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further investigation.
However, Amupitan clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically mean that a registration was invalid. He said all affected records were subjected to additional checks and authorised adjudication before decisions were taken.
The verification exercise followed complaints, claims and objections submitted by Nigerians after INEC displayed the preliminary register of voters nationwide between October 9 and October 15, 2026.
During the display period, several Nigerians and civil society organisations raised concerns about suspected irregularities in the registration process.
Some of the issues identified included photographs suspected to have been artificially generated, multiple registrations, unusual names and voter records belonging to deceased individuals.
The controversy attracted considerable public attention after some questionable photographs allegedly used in the registration process circulated on social media.
The development also triggered calls for INEC to strengthen its verification procedures and ensure that the country’s voters’ register accurately reflects eligible voters ahead of future elections.
Amupitan further revealed that 54 registration officials operating across 10 states had been identified for possible disciplinary measures, including prosecution, over their alleged involvement in irregularities uncovered during the exercise.
The commission said appropriate action would be taken against officials found culpable after the necessary investigations and procedures.
INEC maintained that the review was part of efforts to protect the credibility and integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that only valid registrations remain on the voters’ register.
The commission also announced that the final cleaned-up register of voters would be published on December 16, 2026, in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
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