By Augustine Ehikioya
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 invalid entries from the Preliminary Register of Voters, following public complaints over manipulated photographs, duplicate registrations, strange names and deceased persons still on the list.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on the display and publication of the Preliminary Register.
He said the Commission received several claims, objections and complaints after the Preliminary Register was displayed at ward level between October 9 and 15, 2026, and subsequently published online.
Amupitan said the current National Register evolved through successive registration and Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercises since 2011, and contains biometric and demographic data captured under different technologies and quality standards.
Although the register had undergone cleansing and biometric comparison at different points, he said significant historical integrity questions remain since 2011 and require a national, systematic response.
Under Section 19(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, INEC is required to consider objections within 14 days after display of the register, verify them, take corrective action and clean up the register ahead of publication of the Final Register, fixed for December 15, 2026.
Amupitan said the Commission harvested 11,088,238 records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise. Of these, the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 for examination.
He clarified that a flagged record is not necessarily invalid, as automated screening only identifies matters requiring review, while authorised adjudication determines the outcome.
Before publication of the Preliminary Register, 1,277,052 registrations had already been confirmed invalid and excluded.
After display, a further 268,000 cases underwent adjudication. Of these, 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.
This brings the cumulative total of confirmed invalid registrations removed after objections to 331,608, in addition to 873 separately verified deceased voters’ records.
In total, the clean-up for the 2025/2026 CVR stands at 1,608,660 invalid registrations plus 873 deceased voters, making 1,609,553 records removed.
Amupitan said final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks are ongoing to ensure approved changes are accurately reflected in the final register.
“With this, the complaints and irregularities raised by the public on the preliminary register for the 2025/2026 CVR have been addressed,” he said.
The Chairman said the scale of irregularities warranted an examination of how they occurred and who was responsible.
Technical assessment examined suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and irregularities associated with registration transactions.
INEC found instances where certain registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and misused provisions intended for exceptional circumstances, including for persons with disabilities.
“The affected records have been identified and subjected to appropriate review and remediation processes, while the associated personnel have been identified for further administrative investigation.”
To prevent recurrence, the Commission is strengthening registration controls with enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards.
The Chairman said fifty-four persons across ten states have been identified as complicit, stressing that necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them, including possible prosecution.
Amupitan stressed that cleaning only the 2025/2026 CVR will not solve the problem.
Even after removing the 331,608 irregular entries, he said the final list will still carry over duplications from 2011-2023. Most of the duplication of names and pictures circulated on social media related to the old register.
At its meeting on Monday, November 9, 2026, the Commission decided to address duplications in the old register and directed that already flagged cases, arising from complaints received and obvious cases on the register, should be removed after proper verification.
On complaints of omitted names, Amupitan said most complainants registered between 2011 and 2023.
Instead of transferring their registration to their new location, they re-registered. Those second registrations were voided by ABIS, but their names remain in their previous location.
They have been advised to check their previous locations.
