The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has removed 1,608,660 invalid voter registrations following a review of the 2025 and 2026 continuous voter registration (CVR) exercises.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan said the commission identified the invalid entries through a review conducted with its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
In October, the commission faced criticism after Nigerians raised concerns about duplicate entries, artificial intelligence-generated photographs and the inclusion of deceased persons on the voter register.
Amupitan said INEC also deleted 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons, bringing the total number of records removed to 1,609,553.
He said the clean-up exercise was concluded after the commission considered complaints, claims and objections submitted during the display of the preliminary register at registration wards from October 9 to 15, 2026, as well as its subsequent online publication.
“The commission harvested 11,088,238 records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise. Of these, ABIS initially flagged 1,545,052 for examination,” Amupitan said.
“A flagged record is not necessarily an invalid registration: automated screening identifies matters requiring review, while authorised adjudication determines the outcome. Consequently, before publication of the preliminary register, 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded from the 1,545,052 for examination.
“As a result of objections, claims and complaints received during the display and publication, a further 268,000 cases underwent adjudication. A total of 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.
“Additional screening subsequently identified 113,886 further invalid registrations, which were also removed. The cumulative total of confirmed invalid registrations removed after the objections, claims and complaints is 331,608, in addition to the 873 separately verified deceased voters’ records. This brings the total clean-up to 1,608,660.
“The commission confirms that the current register-cleaning exercise for the 2025/2026 continuous voter registration (CVR) has been concluded.
“All 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations have been removed. In addition, 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons have also been removed as a separate category. The combined total of records removed under these two categories is 1,609,553.”
On irregularities discovered in the preliminary voter register, Amupitan said 54 officials across 10 states had been identified for disciplinary action, which could include prosecution.
“To prevent recurrence, the Commission is strengthening its registration controls with enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards,” he said.
“Fifty-four persons cutting across 10 states have been identified as complicit, and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them, including possible prosecution.”
The INEC chairman said some registration personnel had deliberately bypassed established procedures and abused provisions intended for exceptional registration circumstances, including cases involving persons with disabilities.
“The affected records have been identified and subjected to the appropriate review and remediation processes, while the associated personnel have been identified for further administrative investigation,” he said.
Addressing complaints about omitted names, Amupitan said the commission found that most affected voters had initially registered between 2011 and 2023 but later registered again instead of transferring their voter registration to their new locations.
He explained that ABIS invalidated the subsequent registrations, while the voters’ names remained on the register at their previous registration locations.
The INEC chairman advised affected voters to check their former registration locations.