INEC Removes 1.6m Invalid Voter Records, Identifies 54 Staff Over Registration Irregularities

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from Nigeria’s national voters’ register following irregularities uncovered during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
The commission also identified 54 personnel across 10 states for allegedly participating in the irregularities, warning that those involved would face disciplinary measures and possible prosecution.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday, November 9, 2026, during a press conference at the commission’s headquarters on the display and publication of the Preliminary Register of Voters.
Amupitan explained that the removed records included 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons.
According to him, the commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records across the three phases of the CVR exercise, while its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination.

However, he clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically mean a registration was invalid, stressing that each case had to undergo proper review and adjudication.
The chairman further disclosed that 268,000 additional cases were subjected to adjudication following objections, claims and complaints received during the public display of the preliminary register.
He said 217,722 of the cases were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.
Amupitan added that subsequent screening uncovered another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of invalid registrations removed to 1,608,660.
He said the commission’s technical assessment examined suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and irregularities in registration transactions.
According to him, some registration personnel deliberately bypassed established procedures and misused provisions designed for exceptional registration circumstances, including those involving persons with disabilities.

The INEC chairman said the commission had identified the affected records and subjected them to review and corrective measures, while the personnel allegedly involved had been identified for further administrative investigation.
He said, “Fifty-four persons cutting across ten States have been identified as complicit and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them including possible prosecution.”
Amupitan added that INEC was strengthening its registration procedures through improved biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
The development followed complaints raised by Nigerians during the display of the preliminary voters’ register at ward level between October 9 and 15, 2026, and its subsequent online publication.
Some members of the public had raised concerns over suspected duplicate registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual names and registration patterns, as well as the inclusion of deceased persons in the register.
Some also alleged that the irregularities were deliberate attempts to compromise the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

INEC said the clean-up exercise had been concluded, while final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks would ensure that approved changes were accurately reflected in the final register, scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026.