Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid voter registrations from Nigeria’s preliminary voters’ register and identified 54 officials across 10 states for possible disciplinary action over alleged irregularities.
Gatekeepers News reports that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday, November 9, 2026, while briefing journalists in Abuja on the outcome of the review of the preliminary register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission also removed 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons, bringing the total number of records removed to 1,609,533.
Amupitan said the exercise followed complaints, claims and objections raised by Nigerians after the preliminary voters’ register was displayed nationwide between October 9 and 15.
According to him, INEC received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination, although the chairman clarified that being flagged did not automatically mean a registration was invalid.
He explained that 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the preliminary register.
Following public complaints and objections, another 268,000 cases underwent adjudication, with 217,722 confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.
Amupitan added that further screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of invalid registrations removed to 1,608,660.
On the involvement of electoral officials, the INEC chairman said investigations uncovered instances where some personnel deliberately circumvented established registration procedures and misused provisions intended for exceptional registration circumstances, including those relating to persons with disabilities.
He said 54 officials across 10 states had been identified as allegedly complicit in the irregularities and would face necessary disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution.
The commission also identified cases involving suspected multiple registrations, manipulated photographs and unusual registration patterns.
Amupitan said INEC was strengthening its registration procedures through improved biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
He added that the commission would continue investigating historical irregularities in the voters’ register, particularly records dating back to registration exercises conducted between 2011 and 2023.
The chairman said the final register of voters, following reconciliation and quality assurance checks, would be published on December 15, 2026.
He also urged Nigerians whose names appeared to be missing from the preliminary register to check their former registration locations, explaining that some voters had registered again after relocating instead of transferring their existing registrations.
