By our Reporter
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from the national register of voters following a clean-up of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
The commission also identified 54 personnel across 10 states for alleged involvement in registration irregularities, warning that those found culpable would face disciplinary action and possible prosecution.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday during a press conference on the display and publication of the Preliminary Register of Voters at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He explained that the figure comprised 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons, which were removed separately.
According to him, the commission harvested 11,088,238 records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise, while its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination.
Amupitan, however, cautioned that being flagged did not automatically make a registration invalid, stressing that each case required review and authorised adjudication before a decision could be reached.
He said 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the Preliminary Register was published. Another 268,000 cases were subsequently subjected to adjudication following objections, claims and complaints received during the display exercise.
Of the additional cases, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained. Further screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing post-display removals to 331,608.
The INEC chairman said the commission had concluded the clean-up of records generated during the 2025/2026 registration exercise.
He added that a technical assessment uncovered suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and irregularities in registration transactions, including instances where some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures.
According to him, some officials also misused provisions intended for exceptional registration circumstances, including those involving persons with disabilities.
“Fifty-four persons cutting across ten States have been identified as complicit and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them including possible prosecution,” he said.
Amupitan said the commission was strengthening its registration controls through enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
He noted that the clean-up followed complaints and objections received during the physical display of the Preliminary Register at registration areas between October 9 and 15, as well as its subsequent online publication.
The chairman said the Final Register of Voters was scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026, adding that final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were ongoing.
He, however, warned that the exercise did not address all irregularities in the national register, as many of the duplicate names and photographs circulating on social media related to previous registration exercises conducted between 2011 and 2023.
He said the commission had resolved to address the historical duplication issues through proper verification and removal of cases already flagged through complaints, alongside other obvious cases identified in the register.
On reports of missing names, Amupitan explained that some affected voters who registered between 2011 and 2023 had undertaken fresh registrations instead of transferring their existing registrations to new locations.
He said ABIS invalidated the second registrations, while their original records remained at their previous polling locations, advising affected voters to check those locations.
The chairman also disclosed that the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from the first and second phases, as well as transferred cards, was ongoing at local government areas nationwide.
He said some PVCs from the third and final phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to states by the following week, adding that distribution would return to registration areas from December 1.
Amupitan assured Nigerians that measures, including the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), would prevent multiple voting during the 2027 general elections.
He said every voter would be required to appear physically at their designated polling unit and undergo biometric authentication through fingerprint or facial recognition.
In a related development, INEC said it was yet to receive the court judgment concerning the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that it would not act on reports circulating on social media without first examining the official judgment.
Amupitan said the commission would study the judgment and obtain expert advice from relevant departments before taking any decision.
“We don’t just act on the basis of what is on the social media,” he said.
He also announced a ban on the use of web cameras for voter registration, directing the commission’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department to adopt an application-based camera system.
The measure, he explained, was intended to prevent the importation of photographs from external sources into the voter registration system.
On the use of artificial intelligence (AI), the INEC chairman disclosed that the commission had approved a comprehensive AI governance framework to regulate the responsible deployment of the technology.
He said the framework was developed in collaboration with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the UK High Commission, and had undergone peer review.
Amupitan added that the commission had reviewed its ICT infrastructure and cybersecurity arrangements as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
He further disclosed that security agencies were conducting their own investigations into suspected double registration, while INEC personnel found culpable would face internal disciplinary measures and possible referral to law enforcement agencies.
On early voting for journalists, electoral officials and other persons engaged in election duties, the chairman said INEC had proposed the arrangement during the amendment of the Electoral Act, but it did not receive the support of the National Assembly.
He said the commission would continue to advocate for the introduction of early voting, noting that the provision was not currently recognised by law.
