The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed more than 1.27 million invalid voter registrations from the national register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, saying its technology-enabled verification process had flagged about 1.5 million questionable registrations.
He said the National Register of Voters currently contains more than 103 million names, with Nigerians aged 18 to 34 accounting for nearly 29 per cent. The commission is conducting a claims and objections exercise before publishing the final register on December 15.
Amupitan said nine of the 14 activities on the revised election timetable had been completed, while operational readiness assessments were ongoing across the six geopolitical zones. Permanent Voter Card collection is continuing in all 774 local government areas, with collection points decentralised to registration areas and wards.
He added that INEC had deployed its Candidates Nomination Portal, procured 57,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices and acquired election materials for 176,846 polling units. The commission is also coordinating with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.
The INEC chairman identified misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and the misuse of artificial intelligence as major threats to the elections. He called for stronger UK support in cybersecurity, technology, personnel training, voter education and efforts to ensure the participation of women, youths and persons with disabilities.
The UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, urged stakeholders to ensure the 2027 elections do not trigger violence or instability. He said the UN would provide moral support but would not observe the polls, while British High Commissioner Pete Vowles reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Nigeria through technical assistance, capacity building and voter education.
