ABUJA, FCT — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to deceased voters.
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan announced the figures at a November 9 press conference in Abuja, following public complaints about the preliminary register.
The commission said the clean-up covered registrations from its 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise and objections submitted after the register’s October display.
It also identified 54 people across 10 states for administrative investigation, with possible disciplinary action or prosecution if evidence supports it.
INEC Biometric Review and Registration Outcomes
INEC harvested 11,088,238 records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 registration exercise, according to Amupitan.
The commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged 1,545,052 records for examination, stressing, however, that a flag did not automatically invalidate registration.
Before publishing the preliminary register, INEC confirmed 1,277,052 registrations as invalid and excluded them from the list.
After display, 268,000 additional cases underwent adjudication following public complaints, claims and objections, the chairman said.
Of those cases, 217,722 registrations were ruled invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.
Further screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total invalid registrations removed to 1,608,660.
The commission separately removed 873 records belonging to verified deceased voters, bringing the reported combined figure to 1,609,553.
Other reports described the announcement and the review process.
Complaints, Alleged Irregularities and Investigations
The preliminary register was displayed at registration areas between October 9 and 15, with an online version published afterward.
INEC said public complaints included suspected duplicate registrations, unusual names, questionable photographs and records of deceased people.
Amupitan said the commission’s technical assessment found instances where registration personnel allegedly bypassed procedures and misused provisions for exceptional cases.
Those provisions included processes intended to support registration for people with disabilities, according to the chairman’s remarks.
The commission said it had identified 54 people across 10 states as potentially involved in the irregularities.
Those individuals will face administrative investigation, and INEC said disciplinary measures could include prosecution if wrongdoing is established.
The announcement did not name the individuals or states, and did not specify the alleged conduct attributed to each person.
INEC said it was strengthening biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to reduce the risk of similar problems recurring.
Historical Records and INEC Voter Revalidation
Amupitan cautioned that the latest clean-up addressed 2025/2026 registrations, while older records from 2011 through 2023 remain a separate concern.
He said many duplicate names and images circulated online related to historical registration data rather than the latest exercise.
INEC had planned a nationwide voter revalidation exercise but deferred it after stakeholders raised concerns about timing before the 2027 elections.
The commission said postponement would not suspend other checks, including biometric screening, adjudication and statutory claims and objections.
INEC also said some voters who reported missing names had registered again after moving, rather than transferring their earlier registration.
The subsequent registrations were rejected by biometric screening, while the original records remained associated with voters’ previous locations.
The commission advised affected voters to check their former registration areas and said the final register is scheduled for publication December 15.
Reconciliation and Voter Protections
There is a 20-record arithmetic discrepancy in the figures stated: 1,608,660 invalid registrations plus 873 deceased records equals 1,609,533.
INEC’s announcement gave the combined figure as 1,609,553, which is 20 higher than the sum of its stated categories.
The final register’s reconciliation and quality assurance may clarify the official count before its planned December publication.
The transcript provided for this report is dated November 8, 2027, although contemporary coverage places the press conference on November 9, 2026.
That date appears inconsistent with the transcript’s references to upcoming December 2026 and 2027 election preparations.
INEC said it would continue removing confirmed invalid entries while protecting eligible voters from wrongful exclusion.
It also cited BVAS biometric checks at polling units as a safeguard against multiple accreditation and voting on election day.
