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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has removed 1,609,553 records from the voters register following a nationwide clean-up exercise aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, explaining that the figure comprises 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons.
Amupitan said the exercise followed complaints and objections raised by Nigerians during the display of the Preliminary Register of Voters between October 9 and 15, 2026.
He explained that the Commission deployed its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), to examine registration records, identify suspicious entries and eliminate irregularities.
According to him, 11 million, 88 thousand, 238 records were harvested from the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise, out of which over 1.5 million were initially flagged for further examination.
The INEC Chairman disclosed that following public complaints, 268,000 additional cases underwent adjudication, with 217,722 confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained, adding that further screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the post-display clean-up to 331,608.
He noted that some of the irregularities were linked to deliberate attempts by registration personnel to circumvent established procedures, and revealed that 54 persons across ten states had been identified as allegedly complicit in the irregularities, stressing that they would face administrative disciplinary measures and possible prosecution.
He also clarified that the clean-up of the 2025/2026 registration exercise would not automatically resolve historical duplications dating back to 2011, noting that INEC had consequently resolved to investigate and address verified irregularities in the older register.
On complaints of missing names, the Commission explained that some affected voters had registered again after relocating instead of transferring their existing voter registration, explaining that such subsequent registrations were invalidated by the biometric system, while their original records remained at their previous polling locations.
INEC therefore advised affected voters to check their former registration locations, and also also announced that PVC distribution for the first and second registration phases, including transferred cards, was ongoing, while distribution would return to Registration Areas nationwide from December 1, 2026.
The Commission also assured Nigerians that measures were being strengthened to protect eligible voters from wrongful exclusion and prevent multiple voting during the 2027 elections.
The Chairman further said that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), alongside established electoral procedures, would ensure that voters undergo biometric authentication at their designated polling units.
Amupitan however added that the final register of voters would be published on December 15, 2026, following reconciliation and quality assurance checks, reaffirming the Commission’s commitment to a credible and transparent electoral process.
