INEC Removes 1.6 Million Records From Voters’ Register, Identifies 54 Staff Over Irregularities
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has removed 1,609,553 records from the national register of voters following a clean-up of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this at a press conference on Monday, November 9, 2026, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. He said the figure comprises 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records of verified deceased persons.
Amupitan said INEC harvested 11,088,238 records from the three phases of the CVR. The Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS, initially flagged 1,545,052 for review. He explained that flagging does not automatically mean invalidity, as authorised adjudication determines the final outcome.
Before the preliminary register was published, 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded. A further 268,000 cases went to adjudication after objections, claims and complaints during the display of the preliminary register between October 9 and 15, 2026. Of these, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid. Additional screening identified 113,886 more invalid registrations, bringing post-display removals to 331,608.
The chairman said 54 persons across 10 states have been identified as complicit in the irregularities. He said they deliberately circumvented registration procedures and misused provisions meant for exceptional cases, including persons with disabilities. The affected personnel will face disciplinary action and possible prosecution.
To prevent a recurrence, Amupitan said INEC is strengthening registration controls with enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards. He also directed that web cameras be discontinued for voter registration and replaced with app-based cameras to stop imported pictures.
He noted that most of the duplicate names and pictures circulating on social media relate to the old register covering 2011 to 2023. He said cleaning only the 2025/2026 CVR will not solve the problem and that significant historical integrity questions remain. The Commission has decided to remove flagged cases in the old register after proper verification.
On Permanent Voter Cards, Amupitan said distribution of phases 1 and 2 and transferred PVCs is ongoing at LGAs nationwide. Cards for phase 3 are being delivered and will be dispatched to states next week. From December 1, 2026, distribution will return to Registration Areas.
He assured that election day safeguards remain in place. Under the Standard Operating Procedures and with BVAS, every voter must be physically present at their designated polling unit and pass biometric authentication by fingerprint or facial recognition.
The chairman also said INEC has approved a comprehensive AI governance framework developed with IFES and the UK High Commission to guide responsible deployment of artificial intelligence.
On the African Democratic Congress, ADC, court judgment circulating online, Amupitan said the Commission is yet to receive the judgment and will not act until it has been received and studied.
The final register of voters is scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026.