The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid registrants from Nigeria’s voter register as part of an ongoing exercise to sanitise the database ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, made the disclosure on Monday while addressing journalists on the outcome of the review of the Preliminary Register of Voters
The commission also disclosed that 876 voters verified to be deceased had been removed from the register.
INEC announced the development while providing an update on its clean-up exercise, which followed complaints, objections and claims raised by members of the public after the preliminary voter register was displayed in October 2026.
The preliminary register attracted widespread criticism after Nigerians and civil society groups reportedly identified several irregularities, including suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs, duplicate registrations and entries belonging to deceased persons.
Some of the questionable photographs circulated on social media, raising concerns about the integrity of the voter registration process and the commission’s verification procedures.
INEC subsequently commenced a review of the preliminary register to investigate the complaints and remove entries found to be invalid.
The development comes after INEC acknowledged concerns surrounding irregular registrations, including the alleged manipulation of photographs and exploitation of the special registration option meant for persons with disabilities who have incomplete or missing fingers.
The commission had also indicated that its Automated Biometric Identification System was being used to identify suspicious records, including multiple registrations and other irregularities requiring further investigation.
INEC said it would publish the cleaned-up voter register on December 16, 2026, in accordance with the provisions of the electoral law.
