The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid voter registrations from the preliminary voters register and identified 54 staff members across 10 states for disciplinary action, including possible prosecution, over their alleged involvement in registration irregularities.

The commission also removed 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons following complaints and objections raised during the display of the preliminary voters register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of the commission’s review of the preliminary register, describing the exercise as part of efforts to strengthen the credibility and integrity of the electoral process.

The integrity of the voter register has come under fresh scrutiny following allegations of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated photographs, duplicate registrations and fictitious voter identities in the preliminary register released by INEC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The controversy sparked widespread reactions after images of questionable voter records circulated on social media, prompting calls for an investigation and greater transparency from the commission.

Addressing journalists on Monday, Amupitan said the commission had concluded the cleaning exercise covering the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), adding that all confirmed invalid registrations identified through biometric screening and public complaints had been removed.

According to him, the commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the CVR exercise, out of which its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 for further examination.

He explained that 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the preliminary register.

The INEC chairman said following the subsequent display of the register between October 9 and 15, the commission received complaints, claims and objections from members of the public, prompting further investigations.

He said 268,000 cases were subjected to adjudication, out of which 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.

He noted that additional screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of invalid records removed after the review to 331,608.

The INEC chairman said the commission’s investigation also uncovered deliberate attempts by some registration personnel to circumvent established procedures and misuse provisions designed for exceptional registration circumstances, including those involving persons with disabilities.

He said the affected records had been identified and subjected to appropriate corrective measures, while the personnel implicated had been identified for administrative investigation.

“Fifty-four persons cutting across 10 states have been identified as complicit and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them, including possible prosecution,” he said.

The commission, however, warned that the irregularities were not limited to the recent registration exercise, explaining that a significant number of the multiple registrations and questionable records circulating on social media originated from historical voter data captured between 2011 and 2023.

Amupitan said cleaning up the 2025/2026 registration records alone would not completely address the integrity challenges associated with the voter register.

He disclosed that the commission had resolved to extend its scrutiny to questionable records in the historical register, directing that already flagged cases and obvious irregularities should be removed after proper verification.

The INEC chairman recalled that the commission had earlier proposed a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to address inconsistencies in historical records but deferred it following concerns from stakeholders about the proximity of the exercise to the 2027 elections and the possibility of disenfranchising eligible voters.

He, however, stressed that the postponement did not suspend existing mechanisms for protecting the integrity of the register, including biometric screening, adjudication and statutory claims and objections.

On complaints by some Nigerians that their names were missing from the preliminary register, Amupitan said investigations revealed that many affected persons had registered between 2011 and 2023 but subsequently registered again instead of transferring their registration to their new locations.

He explained that the subsequent registrations were invalidated by the biometric system, while their original registrations remained at their previous locations.

He therefore advised affected voters to check the locations where they initially registered.

Amupitan said the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from the first and second phases of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), including transferred PVCs, was ongoing at local government areas across the country.

He said some PVCs from the third and final phase were still being delivered from overseas production centres and would be dispatched to states.

According to him, distribution would return to Registration Areas nationwide from December 1, 2026.

Amupitan assured Nigerians that the commission remained committed to removing invalid entries without compromising the rights of eligible voters.

He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), alongside the commission’s election-day operational procedures, would provide additional safeguards against multiple accreditation and voting.

He explained that voters would be required to appear physically at their designated polling units for biometric authentication through fingerprints or facial recognition before being accredited.

The INEC chairman said the process would ensure that voters’ identities were verified against the register and that successful accreditation was recorded.

He said the commission would continue to communicate verifiable outcomes of the cleaning exercise while protecting personal information and the integrity of ongoing investigations.

The final register of voters is scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026.

‘Electoral officials’ involvement in irregularities bad news for democracy’

Political analysts have expressed concerns over the implications of irregularities in the voter register, warning that the discovery of questionable records dating back to 2011 could further undermine public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

They also called on INEC to demonstrate transparency and take decisive action against officials found culpable in the registration irregularities.

A political analyst, Prof. Kamilu Sani Fage, said while the removal of duplicate registrations was a necessary step towards sanitising the voters register, the identification of 54 officials allegedly involved in the infractions raised serious questions about the integrity of the system.

He said the development suggested that some officials had exploited their positions to manipulate the register, adding that the extent of the alleged infractions remained unclear.

Fage described the involvement of electoral officials as bad news for democracy, arguing that INEC must take stringent action against those found guilty to restore public confidence in the commission.

He also faulted INEC’s explanation that some of the irregularities originated from historical records dating back to 2011, saying the revelation raised questions about why the commission had failed to detect and address them over the years.

According to him, the discovery could also cast doubts on the credibility of previous elections conducted with the affected register.

“Why should such a problem exist for so many years and go undetected? It shows that INEC itself is very weak,” he added.

Another political analyst, Prof. Abubakar Kari, described INEC’s decision to publicly address the controversy surrounding the voters register as timely and necessary.

Kari said the commission needed to respond to widespread allegations and public apprehension that the register had been manipulated through AI to generate duplicate or fictitious voter identities.

He said the allegations, including claims that millions of questionable entries had been introduced into the register, had created fears among Nigerians that the electoral process could be manipulated ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, the controversy touches on the credibility and independence of INEC, particularly amid public perceptions that the commission could be influenced to favour the ruling party.

He, however, urged Nigerians to give the commission the benefit of the doubt while insisting that its clean-up exercise must be sustained and supported with verifiable evidence.

Kari said INEC should go beyond issuing explanations and denials by publishing documentary evidence of the corrective measures taken to establish the credibility of the exercise.

He also urged the commission to respond promptly to allegations and misinformation surrounding the voters register rather than allowing them to spread unchecked.

He said the clean-up should not be treated as a one-off exercise but sustained to ensure that the register is credible before the 2027 general elections.

Credible voter register key to integrity of elections – Labour Party

The Labour Party has urged INEC to go beyond removing invalid entries from the voter register and build a credible and reliable database ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party said while the commission deserved commendation for responding to public concerns over alleged manipulation of the register, it must ensure that the clean-up exercise did not result in the disenfranchisement of eligible voters.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, said, “The integrity of the electoral process depended largely on the credibility of the register.”

Asogwa described INEC’s announcement on the removal of invalid entries and the identification of officials involved in registration irregularities as heartwarming, but insisted that the commission needed to strengthen its systems to prevent a recurrence.

He urged INEC to focus on building what he described as a foolproof registration database capable of inspiring public confidence in the electoral system.

He stressed that every eligible Nigerian must be given the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote, adding that the credibility of the voter register remained fundamental to the integrity of elections.

“While the Commission deserves commendation for its swift response to the concerns raised by Nigerians over the alleged infiltration of its system, it must also take proactive steps to ensure that no Nigerian of voting age who possesses a valid PVC is disenfranchised in the 2027 general elections,” he said.

Yiaga Africa seeks independent audit of voter register

Meanwhile, Yiaga Africa has called for an independent, comprehensive and transparent audit of the voter register following the discovery of irregularities dating back to 2011.

The organisation said the removal of invalid voter records was necessary to restore the integrity of the register, but stressed that the commission’s commitment to accountability would be measured by the consequences faced by those implicated in the irregularities.

Samson Itodo, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, said INEC’s decision to identify and remove invalid records and initiate accountability measures against implicated officials was an important step towards rebuilding public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Itodo, however, said the commission must ensure that investigations were thorough, transparent and conducted in accordance with due process.

He also called on INEC to publish a comprehensive report detailing the nature, geographical spread and causes of the irregularities, the corrective measures taken and reforms being introduced to prevent a recurrence.

On the irregularities from 2011 and 2023 records, the Yiaga Africa director said the development reinforced the need for an independent audit of the entire voter register.

He recommended the establishment of an independent review mechanism comprising credible civil society organisations, electoral technology experts, data protection specialists, statisticians and other relevant professionals.

According to him, the proposed mechanism should operate under clearly defined terms of reference, with appropriate access to registration data and strict compliance with data protection requirements.

He warned that the clean-up exercise must not become another source of voter disenfranchisement, stressing that every eligible Nigerian had a constitutional right to register and vote.

“Officials found to have engaged in criminal conduct should face prosecution rather than merely administrative sanctions,” he added.