The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations from the preliminary national register of voters following a comprehensive review of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission also disclosed that 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons had been removed, bringing the total number of deleted records to 1,609,533.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja during a press briefing on the outcome of the review of the preliminary register, which attracted widespread public complaints over alleged multiple registrations, suspicious photographs, unusual registration patterns and the inclusion of deceased persons.
He said the clean-up followed claims, objections and complaints received after the preliminary register was displayed at registration areas nationwide between October 9 and 15, 2026, and subsequently published online.
Amupitan explained that the commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise, out of which its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination.
He, however, clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically render a registration invalid, as each case was subjected to further investigation and authorised adjudication before a decision was taken.
Giving a breakdown of the findings, the INEC chairman said 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the preliminary register.
He disclosed that following the public display of the register, another 268,000 cases were subjected to adjudication. Of these, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were found valid and retained.
Amupitan added that subsequent screening uncovered another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of invalid entries removed to 1,608,660.
The chairman also revealed that the commission had identified 54 registration officials across 10 states for alleged complicity in the irregularities, warning that those found culpable would face disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution.
He said the commission’s technical assessment uncovered instances in which some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and abused provisions designed for exceptional registration circumstances, including those meant to accommodate persons with disabilities.
According to him, the affected records had been identified and subjected to verification and corrective measures, while investigations into the conduct of the implicated personnel were ongoing.
The INEC chairman further acknowledged that the irregularities were not limited to the 2025/2026 registration exercise, noting that some of the questionable photographs, multiple registrations and unusual names that generated public concern originated from historical voter records captured between 2011 and 2023.
He explained that the national voter register had evolved through successive registration exercises conducted under different technologies and operational procedures, making further verification necessary to address inherited inconsistencies.
Consequently, the commission resolved to extend its clean-up efforts to the historical register by removing previously flagged duplicate entries and other obvious irregularities after proper verification.
Amupitan also clarified complaints by some voters who claimed that their names had disappeared from the register. He said investigations showed that many of them had relocated and registered afresh instead of applying for the transfer of their existing voter registration to their new locations.
He explained that the biometric system invalidated their subsequent registrations because their original records were still active at their former locations, advising affected persons to check the register at their previous registration areas.
On measures to prevent a recurrence, the commission said it was strengthening its biometric capture, authentication and verification procedures, while introducing additional safeguards against manipulated photographs and other forms of registration fraud.
The chairman also assured Nigerians that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would remain a critical safeguard in the 2027 general elections, explaining that voters would be required to appear physically at their designated polling units for biometric authentication through fingerprint or facial recognition.
He maintained that the system was designed to prevent multiple accreditation and unauthorised voting.
Meanwhile, Amupitan disclosed that distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for the first and second phases of the 2025/2026 registration exercise, as well as transferred cards, was ongoing at local government offices across the country.
He said PVCs for the third phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to states, with distribution expected to return to registration areas nationwide from December 1, 2026.
He appealed to those who registered during the third phase to exercise patience, explaining that the production of the cards was being handled outside Nigeria.
The commission said it would publish the cleaned-up national register of voters on December 16, 2026, following the completion of final reconciliation, quality assurance and other publication procedures, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to protecting eligible Nigerians from wrongful exclusion while ensuring that invalid registrations were expunged to strengthen the credibility and integrity of the electoral register.
