By Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the removal of more than 1.6 million invalid voter registration records following complaints and irregularities discovered during the display of the 2025/2026 Preliminary Register of Voters.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this during a press conference on the review of the Preliminary Register, explaining that the exercise also led to the identification of 54 persons across 10 states allegedly involved in manipulating voter registration procedures.

He said the commission had concluded its cleaning exercise, removing 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons.

According to him, the review followed complaints, claims and objections raised by members of the public after the preliminary register was displayed at polling wards between October 9 and 15, 2026, and subsequently published online.

Amupitan explained that the commission received several complaints concerning suspected multiple registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual registration patterns and the inclusion of deceased persons in the register.

He said the commission conducted a comprehensive review using its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to identify and verify questionable registrations.

The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission initially received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

He said the biometric screening system flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination, out of which 1,277,052 were confirmed invalid and excluded before the publication of the preliminary register.

Following public complaints and objections, another 268,000 cases were subjected to adjudication, resulting in 217,722 registrations being declared invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.

He added that subsequent screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of confirmed invalid records removed after the review to 331,608, in addition to the 1,277,052 previously excluded.

On those responsible for the irregularities, Amupitan said technical investigations uncovered instances where some registration personnel deliberately bypassed established procedures and abused provisions designed for exceptional registration circumstances.

He disclosed that 54 persons across 10 states had been identified in connection with the infractions and would face appropriate disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution.

The INEC chairman, however, said the commission's concerns extended beyond the 2025/2026 registration exercise, noting that several duplication complaints originated from historical voter records captured between 2011 and 2023.

He explained that the commission had, at its meeting on November 9, 2026, resolved to address identified duplications in the historical register, subject to proper verification.

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Amupitan also clarified complaints by some Nigerians who claimed their names were missing from the preliminary register.

According to him, investigations showed that many of the affected individuals had registered between 2011 and 2023 and subsequently registered again after relocating, instead of transferring their existing registrations to their new locations.

He explained that the subsequent registrations were invalidated by the biometric screening system, while their original records remained in their previous registration locations.

The chairman advised affected voters to check their former registration locations.

On the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Amupitan said the distribution of cards from the first and second phases, including transferred PVCs, was ongoing at local government areas across the country.

He added that PVCs produced for the third and final phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to states the following week.

He announced that from December 1, 2026, PVC distribution would resume at Registration Area levels nationwide.

The INEC chairman urged voters who participated in the third phase of registration to exercise patience, explaining that the production process was being handled outside Nigeria.

He further assured Nigerians that the commission remained committed to protecting eligible voters from wrongful exclusion while removing invalid entries from the register.

Amupitan said additional safeguards would be deployed during the 2027 general elections to prevent multiple accreditation and voting.

He explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the commission's standard operating procedures require voters to appear physically at their designated polling units for biometric authentication through fingerprints or facial recognition.

According to him, the process is designed to verify voters' identities against the register and prevent individuals from being accredited more than once.

He reaffirmed INEC's commitment to transparency, evidence-based investigations and stronger registration controls ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The commission is expected to publish the Final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026, following the completion of reconciliation, quality assurance and other publication procedures.