The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified 54 officials allegedly involved in manipulating voter registration procedures across 10 states. Chairman Joash Amupitan disclosed this on Monday, saying the affected personnel would face disciplinary action and possible prosecution. He did not name the states involved.
Amupitan said the commission had removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registration records and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons from the voters’ register. The exercise followed complaints received after INEC displayed the preliminary register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He explained that the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records out of 11,088,238 registrations from the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise. After verification, 1,277,052 were declared invalid and excluded before the preliminary register was published. Further public complaints led to the review of 268,000 cases, with 217,722 rejected and 50,278 retained as valid.
The commission also identified another 331,608 invalid records after the public display, bringing the total number removed to 1,608,660. Amupitan stressed that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically make a registration invalid, as each case had to undergo verification and adjudication.
INEC will also extend its review to historical voter registration records from 2011 to 2023, following concerns about duplicate names and photographs circulating on social media. Amupitan said many cases involved voters who registered again after relocating instead of transferring their existing registration. The commission has directed its ICT department to develop a specialised application for capturing photographs during future registration exercises.
The chairman said INEC had postponed its planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 elections following concerns that conducting it so close to the polls could disenfranchise eligible voters. He, however, assured Nigerians that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System would use fingerprint or facial recognition to verify voters and prevent multiple accreditation and voting on election day.
On Permanent Voter Cards, Amupitan said distribution of cards from the first and second registration phases, alongside transferred PVCs, was ongoing at local government offices nationwide. Cards from the third phase are being delivered and are expected to reach states the following week, while distribution is scheduled to return to registration areas from December 1. He reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to removing invalid records while protecting eligible voters’ right to participate in the elections.
