Amupitan Reveals INEC Removes 1.6m Invalid Voter Records, Identifies 54 Suspects in 10 States

Amupitan Reveals INEC Removes 1.6m Invalid Voter Records, Identifies 54 Suspects in 10 States

By Raphael Ekpang

Abuja (Core Reporters) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the removal of 1,609,553 records from the national voters register following a comprehensive clean-up exercise aimed at addressing irregularities discovered during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

The Commission also disclosed that 54 persons across 10 states had been identified as allegedly complicit in manipulating voter registration procedures, warning that disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution, would be taken against those found culpable.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, (SAN) disclosed this on Monday during a press conference on the review of the Preliminary Register of Voters displayed at polling units nationwide between October 9 and 15, 2026, and subsequently published online.

Amupitan explained that the clean-up exercise followed complaints, claims and objections from members of the public over suspected multiple registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual names and registration patterns, as well as the inclusion of deceased persons in the register.

Giving a breakdown of the exercise, the INEC chairman said the Commission harvested 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise.

According to him, the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination, out of which 1,277,052 were confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the Preliminary Register.

He clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically mean a registration was invalid, stressing that every flagged record was subjected to authorised adjudication before a final decision was taken.

The chairman further disclosed that following complaints received during the statutory display period, another 268,000 cases underwent adjudication, resulting in the removal of 217,722 invalid registrations, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.

He added that subsequent screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of confirmed invalid registrations removed to 1,608,660.

In addition, 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons were removed, bringing the overall number of records expunged from the register to 1,609,553.

Amupitan said the clean-up exercise had been concluded, while final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were ongoing ahead of the release of the Final Register of Voters scheduled for December 15, 2026.

He said the Commission’s investigation revealed that some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and abused provisions designed to accommodate exceptional registration circumstances, including registration for persons with disabilities.

According to him, the affected records have been identified and subjected to appropriate review and remediation, while the personnel involved have been identified for administrative investigation.

“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 stated.

The INEC chairman, however, warned that addressing irregularities arising from the 2025/2026 registration exercise alone would not completely resolve the integrity challenges associated with the national voters register.

He explained that some of the multiple registrations and duplicated photographs circulating on social media originated from historical registration records captured between 2011 and 2023.

Amupitan recalled that the Commission had announced plans in February 2026 to conduct a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to address historical inconsistencies and improve the accuracy and reliability of the register.

However, he said the exercise was deferred following concerns from stakeholders about its proximity to the 2027 General Elections and the possibility of disenfranchising eligible voters.

He disclosed that at its meeting on Monday, November 9, 2026, the Commission resolved to address identified duplications in the historical register, directing that previously flagged and obvious cases should be removed after proper verification.

On complaints by some Nigerians that their names were missing from the Preliminary Register, the INEC chairman explained that investigations showed that many of the affected persons had registered between 2011 and 2023.

He said some of them had relocated but instead of transferring their voter registration to their new locations, they registered again, resulting in the invalidation of their subsequent registrations by ABIS.

He advised such voters to check their previous registration locations, where their original records were still retained.

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

He added that some PVCs from the third and final phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to states the following week.

The chairman announced that distribution would return to Registration Areas nationwide from December 1, 2026, urging those who participated in the third phase to exercise patience because the production process was being undertaken outside the country.

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

He emphasised that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), alongside established Standard Operating Procedures for presiding officers, would provide additional safeguards against multiple accreditation and voting during the 2027 elections.

He explained that every voter would be required to appear physically at their designated polling unit for biometric authentication through fingerprints or facial recognition.

According to him, the system verifies voters’ identities against the register and records successful accreditation, with controls designed to prevent the same individual from being accredited more than once.

The INEC chairman maintained that the Commission would continue to communicate verifiable outcomes of its register-cleaning exercise while protecting personal information and the integrity of ongoing investigations.