The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid entries from the preliminary register of voters following a nationwide review of registrations recorded during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The commission also identified 54 registration officials across 10 states for possible disciplinary action, including prosecution, over alleged irregularities uncovered during the exercise.
Prof. Joash Amupitan, INEC Chairman, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the review, following complaints and objections raised by Nigerians after the preliminary register was displayed nationwide between October 9 and 15.
Amupitan said the commission received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the CVR exercise, with its Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagging 1,545,052 entries for further examination.
He, however, clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically render a registration invalid, explaining that each case was subjected to further scrutiny and authorised adjudication before a decision was taken.
The commission also removed 1,749 records belonging to deceased persons. Amupitan said 876 such records had been verified, while 873 additional cases were identified and removed during the review.
The clean-up followed widespread concerns over the integrity of the preliminary register, with Nigerians and civil society organisations drawing attention to suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs, multiple registrations, unusual names and entries belonging to deceased persons.
Some of the questionable photographs circulated on social media, triggering questions about the effectiveness of INEC’s biometric verification and registration procedures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission subsequently undertook a review of the disputed entries to establish their authenticity and remove registrations found to be invalid.
Amupitan said the 54 officials identified across 10 states would face possible disciplinary measures, including prosecution, where investigations establish their culpability.
The commission said it would publish the cleaned-up register of voters on December 16, 2026, in accordance with the Electoral Act, ahead of the January 16 and February 6, 2027 elections.