The organisation made the demand in a press statement issued on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and signed by its Communications Associate, Wasila Usman. It said INEC should not be the sole institution responsible for validating the credibility of its own voters’ register clean-up, insisting that an independent review was necessary to establish the accuracy of the exercise and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
SOAI’s demand follows INEC’s announcement that it had removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 verified deceased-voter records from the register. The commission also disclosed that 54 personnel across 10 states had been identified for further investigation over alleged involvement in registration irregularities.
INEC Reports Removal of 1.6 Million Invalid Registrations
INEC’s clean-up exercise is part of efforts to improve the credibility of the national voters’ register before the 2027 general elections. The commission said its review identified millions of invalid registration records, including entries that required further examination through its biometric verification systems.
The commission also disclosed that 54 personnel across 10 states had been identified for further investigation over alleged involvement in registration irregularities. However, the identification of the officials does not automatically establish their guilt, as the allegations are still subject to investigation and due process.
The organisation said the public needed more information about how INEC identified the invalid entries, the evidence used to justify their removal and the safeguards put in place to prevent eligible voters from being wrongly deleted.
INEC is expected to publish the final voters’ register on December 15, 2026. SOAI said the commission should make the outcome of the clean-up exercise sufficiently transparent before the register is finalised for the next general elections.
SOAI Questions Transparency of Voters’ Register Clean-Up
SOAI said concerns surrounding the 2025 and 2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercises should not be overlooked, particularly allegations involving AI-generated or manipulated photographs, duplicate registrations, unusual registration patterns and questionable entries.
It also raised concerns about historical records dating from 2011 to 2023, including entries suspected to involve deceased persons and other potentially invalid registrations.
The organisation noted that INEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) could help identify duplicate and suspicious records but stressed that flagged entries must be subjected to proper examination before any decision is made to classify them as fraudulent or remove them from the register.
SOAI argued that biometric screening and automated identification systems should not replace human review, especially where a flagged record could belong to an eligible voter. It called for technical experts and independent election stakeholders to examine the methods used in identifying and removing the records.
The organisation also urged INEC to release anonymised data, relevant system logs, adjudication records and other documents required for an independent assessment, subject to appropriate safeguards for voters’ personal information.
Group Raises Concerns Over Legal Compliance and Risk of Disenfranchisement
SOAI further questioned whether INEC complied with the relevant provisions of Sections 19(1), 19(2) and 19(3) of the Electoral Act 2026 concerning the publication and display of the voters’ register, as well as the period within which claims and objections may be submitted.
The organisation said the physical display of the register reportedly took place between October 9 and 15, 2026, while its online publication followed on October 26 after concerns were raised by stakeholders. It also noted that the complaint mechanism reportedly became available on October 28.
According to SOAI, the sequence of these events raises questions about how INEC calculated and applied the statutory 14-day period for claims and objections, particularly for voters who may have discovered errors or omissions in their registration details.
It called on the commission to explain how the publication and complaint timelines complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act, warning that uncertainty surrounding the process could weaken voters’ ability to challenge incorrect entries or seek corrections before the final register is certified.
The organisation maintained that no eligible Nigerian should lose the opportunity to vote because of administrative errors, biometric mismatches, unresolved historical records or the absence of an effective mechanism to challenge a disputed registration.
It also acknowledged INEC’s decision to defer its proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise over concerns about its proximity to the 2027 elections and the potential risk of disenfranchisement, but said the commission must still address existing weaknesses without introducing measures that could exclude legitimate voters.
CSO Demands Independent Audit, Accountability for INEC Officials
SOAI called for an independent, multidisciplinary audit of the voters’ register involving technical experts, election administrators, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders. It said the exercise should examine the methodology behind the removal of the 1,608,660 registrations and 873 deceased-voter records, including the possibility of eligible voters being wrongly flagged or deleted.
The proposed audit, according to the organisation, should also assess the use of ABIS, the integrity of the final register, INEC’s compliance with statutory requirements and the procedures available to voters seeking corrections or reinstatement.
It further demanded accountability for the 54 personnel identified for investigation, urging INEC to provide information on the states involved, the nature of the alleged infractions and the timetable for concluding the investigations. It said officials found culpable should face appropriate disciplinary or legal action in accordance with due process.
The organisation also urged INEC to publish its applicable artificial intelligence and digital governance framework, particularly the procedures guiding automated screening, biometric matching, human review, data protection and the correction of disputed records.
SOAI said the findings of the independent audit should be made public before the final voters’ register is certified, adding that the process must provide clear remedies for anyone wrongly flagged or removed.
It maintained that the credibility of the 2027 general elections would depend not only on the number of invalid registrations removed but also on the transparency, fairness and accountability of the process. The organisation warned that an unreliable register could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and deny eligible citizens their constitutional right to participate in choosing their leaders.
