The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from the voters’ register follow a nationwide clean-up ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed that 54 staff members across 10 states had been identified for alleged involvement in registration irregularities and could face disciplinary action and prosecution.
Amupitan said the deleted records comprised 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 863 records belonging to verified deceased voters.
He explained that the Commission had concluded the cleaning exercise relating to the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise, adding that final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were ongoing ahead of the release of the Final Register on December 15, 2026.
He said the current National Register of Voters evolved through successive registration and Continuous Voter Registration exercises since 2011. It therefore contains biometric and demographic data captured under different technologies, operational arrangements and quality standards.
The Commission also announced a ban on external web cameras for voter registration, introducing an app-based camera system to prevent the importation of manipulated and AI-generated photographs.
INEC further approved an Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework to strengthen its operations. However, the Commission warned that historical irregularities dating back to 2011 still require attention.
INEC assured the public that robust mechanisms – including the mandatory physical presence of voters and biometric authentication via the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) using fingerprints or facial recognition–remain firmly in place to prevent multiple voting and unauthorised accreditation.
-9News Nigeria
