INEC Deletes 1.6 Million Invalid Voter Registrations Ahead of 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid voter registrations from Nigeria’s national voters’ register as part of efforts to strengthen electoral credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday, November 9, 2026, while briefing journalists in Abuja on the outcome of the review of the preliminary register of voters.

The commission also removed 873 records belonging to people verified to be deceased, bringing the total number of records removed to 1,609,533.

Amupitan said the exercise followed complaints, claims and objections raised after the preliminary register was displayed nationwide between October 9 and 15. Concerns included suspected multiple registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual registration patterns and entries belonging to deceased persons.

According to the chairman, INEC received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

The commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination. Amupitan stressed that being flagged did not automatically mean a registration was invalid, as the affected records underwent additional checks and adjudication.

He explained that 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded before the preliminary register was published.

Following public complaints and objections, another 268,000 cases were reviewed. Of these, 217,722 were confirmed invalid, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.

Further screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of invalid registrations removed to 1,608,660.

The INEC chairman also disclosed that 54 registration personnel across 10 states had been identified over alleged involvement in irregularities. He said those found culpable could face administrative disciplinary measures and possible prosecution.

Amupitan warned that some integrity concerns involved historical records dating back to registration exercises conducted between 2011 and 2023. He said the commission had directed further action to address outstanding irregularities after verification.

The chairman added that INEC was strengthening its registration procedures, biometric verification and image-capture safeguards to prevent a recurrence.

He assured Nigerians that the commission would work to remove invalid records without wrongfully excluding eligible voters.

INEC said the final register of voters is scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026, following reconciliation and quality-assurance checks.