The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from Nigeria’s national register of voters following a clean-up of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, while identifying 54 staff members across 10 states for their alleged involvement in registration irregularities.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Monday, November 9, 2026, during a press conference on the display and publication of the Preliminary Register of Voters at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the removed records comprise 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons.
He explained that the Commission harvested 11,088,238 records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 CVR exercise, with its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagging 1,545,052 records for further examination.
However, he cautioned against interpreting flagged records as automatically invalid.
“A flagged record is not necessarily an invalid registration: automated screening identifies matters requiring review, while authorised adjudication determines the outcome,” he said.
INEC Identifies 54 Staff Over Registration Irregularities
Amupitan said the Commission’s technical assessment uncovered suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and irregularities in registration transactions.
He noted that investigations revealed instances where some registration personnel deliberately bypassed established procedures and misused provisions designed for exceptional registration circumstances, including those involving persons with disabilities.
“The Commission found instances in which certain registration personnel deliberately circumvented established registration procedures and misused provisions intended for exceptional registration circumstances including for persons with disabilities,” he said.
The chairman added that the affected records had undergone review and remediation, while the personnel involved had been identified for administrative investigation.
“Fifty-four persons cutting across ten States have been identified as complicit and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them including possible prosecution,” he said.
To prevent a recurrence, INEC said it was strengthening its registration procedures through enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards.
331,608 Invalid Records Removed After Public Complaints
The latest clean-up followed complaints, claims and objections submitted by members of the public during the display of the Preliminary Register at ward level between October 9 and 15, 2026, and its subsequent online publication.
Some of the complaints raised concerns about manipulated photographs, duplicate registration attempts, unusual names and registration patterns, as well as deceased persons appearing on the register.
INEC disclosed that 1,277,052 registrations had initially been confirmed invalid and excluded before the Preliminary Register was published.
Following objections, claims and complaints received during the display, another 268,000 cases were subjected to adjudication. Of these, 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.
Further screening identified an additional 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the post-display removals to 331,608.
“The Commission confirms that the current register-cleaning exercise for the 2025/2026 Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) has been concluded,” Amupitan said.
He explained that INEC waited for the expiration of the 14-day statutory period provided under Section 19(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, before announcing the outcome.
The Final Register of Voters is scheduled for publication on *December 15, 2026*, following final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks.
INEC Turns Attention to Historical Voter Register
Despite the removals, the INEC chairman warned that cleaning up the records from the 2025/2026 registration exercise would not resolve all the irregularities identified in the national register.
He explained that many of the duplicate names and photographs circulating on social media originated from the previous register covering registration exercises between 2011 and 2023.
“Cleaning the register of only the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise alone will not solve the problem identified,” he said.
According to him, the national register has evolved through successive registration and CVR exercises since 2011, using different technologies, operational arrangements and quality standards.
He said the Commission recognised that older records also required attention.
“Significant historical integrity questions remain since 2011 and require a national, systematic response,” he said.
At its meeting on Monday, November 9, INEC resolved to address duplications in the historical register, including cases already flagged through public complaints and other obvious irregularities, subject to proper verification.
The Commission had earlier announced a nationwide voter revalidation exercise in February 2026 but postponed it until after the 2027 General Elections following concerns from stakeholders about its timing and possible impact on voter participation.
Amupitan, however, maintained that the postponement did not stop the Commission from using existing mechanisms to protect the register’s integrity.
INEC Explains Missing Names on Voters’ Register
Addressing complaints from Nigerians who could not find their names on the current register, the chairman said many of the affected persons had registered between 2011 and 2023 before registering again instead of transferring their voter registration to new locations.
He explained that ABIS invalidated the subsequent registrations, while their original records remained at their previous polling locations.
The affected voters were therefore advised to check the locations where they initially registered.
On Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Amupitan said distribution of cards from Phases 1 and 2, alongside transferred PVCs, was ongoing across local government areas nationwide.
He added that some cards from the third and final phase were being delivered and would be dispatched to states by the following week.
According to him, distribution would return to Registration Areas from December 1, 2026. He appealed for patience from third-phase registrants, explaining that the cards were produced outside Nigeria.
The chairman also assured Nigerians that INEC’s election-day procedures and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would prevent multiple voting.
Under the Commission’s Standard Operating Procedures for Presiding Officers, every voter must be physically present at their designated polling unit and undergo biometric authentication through fingerprint or facial recognition.
“The Commission remains committed both to removing confirmed invalid entries and to protecting eligible Nigerians from wrongful exclusion,” he said.
He added that INEC would continue to communicate verifiable aggregate outcomes while protecting personal information and the integrity of ongoing investigations.
INEC Awaits ADC Court Judgment, Rejects Social Media Reports
In a separate development at the same press conference, INEC said it was yet to receive the court judgment concerning the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stressing that it would not take action based on reports circulating on social media.
Amupitan said the Commission would first obtain and study the judgment before determining the appropriate steps to take.
“We don’t just act on the basis of what is on the social media,” he said.
He explained that judgments of this nature are first received by the chairman, who then seeks expert advice from the relevant department before presenting the matter to the Commission.
“Normally when we receive judgment like that, it comes to the Commission, it comes first to the chairman who asks for the expertise advice from the relevant department before it’s taken to the commission,” he said.
The chairman recalled an earlier incident involving a purported Supreme Court judgment that circulated widely on social media before the court disowned it.
“The Supreme Court disowned itself from it, and even some people have been investigated,” he said.
He added that he would personally examine the processes filed in the ADC case once the judgment was received.
INEC Bans Web Cameras in Voter Registration
On the controversy surrounding suspected AI-generated photographs in the voters’ register, Amupitan said the Commission had traced the access points used to introduce the images into its registration system.
He explained that some of the access points were made available through authorised personnel, creating opportunities for the system to be compromised.
“We have found the number that were used through AI to infiltrate. You see, it takes just one person to compromise the password,” he said.
In response, the chairman disclosed that the Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) had been directed to discontinue the use of web cameras during voter registration and adopt an application-based camera system.
“We have just directed the director of ICT now that our IVFs, this web camera, should not be allowed again. Instead, we should have an app camera. It is what is on the app that will take picture,” he said.
He explained that the new arrangement would prevent registration personnel from importing photographs from external websites or other sources into the system.
“Don’t go and use any URL and begin to import pictures here and there,” he said. “When things happen like that, you don’t want to fall into the same error.”
Amupitan said the Commission had also investigated complaints submitted through its offices, online platforms and social media, adding that many had been examined to establish the facts and ensure fairness.
INEC Approves AI Governance Framework
The chairman also announced the Commission’s approval of a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance framework to guide the responsible use of the technology in electoral activities.
He explained that although INEC had an AI policy approved in 2025, developments in the technology made it necessary to introduce a more comprehensive framework.
“We decided as a commission to have a comprehensive, well-laid out AI governance framework that will govern responsible deployment of AI,” he said.
According to him, the framework was developed in collaboration with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the UK High Commission before being subjected to peer review.
He said the Commission also considered the ECOWAS protocol on the subject.
“Just today, the commission also approved the AI governance framework that will improve on what we used to have,” he said.
He added that the guidelines contained safeguards to ensure AI technology was “deployed for proper purpose and for proper use.”
Security Agencies Investigate Double Registration
Amupitan said the issue of multiple voter registrations had attracted the attention of security agencies, which were conducting their own investigations.
“Everyone is concerned, including the security agencies. So the security agencies are also making their own investigations,” he said.
He maintained that INEC personnel found culpable would face administrative and internal disciplinary measures, while cases involving criminal offences would be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for prosecution.
Asked whether the Commission had identified staff involved in the irregularities, he said the list was already available.
“They are all staff of INEC, and we are taking some steps. We are not covering anything. What I told you today is the truth,” he said.
He added that the Commission would pursue cases from the current registration exercise where digital logs and other evidence were available.
“Those that happen currently, that were able to have a digital log, digital evidence, must proceed against them,” he said.
The chairman also pointed to Section 19 of the Electoral Act, which provides for complaints, claims and objections as part of the process of correcting errors in the register.
He noted that INEC manages more than 100 million registered voters, making it necessary to maintain a system through which irregularities can be identified and addressed.
INEC Reviews Cybersecurity Ahead of 2027 Elections
The chairman further disclosed that the Commission had reviewed its ICT infrastructure and cybersecurity arrangements during its meeting on Monday as part of preparations for the 2027 General Elections.
He described the recent registration irregularities as an early warning that would help the Commission strengthen its systems ahead of the elections.
“Sometimes when you see like this happen, you take it in good faith, because it’s an early warning for you to be on your guard,” he said.
He added that INEC was implementing additional measures, some of which could not be publicly disclosed.
INEC Reopens Debate on Early Voting for Election Workers
On the possibility of early voting for journalists, INEC officials and other Nigerians who would be engaged in election duties on Election Day, Amupitan acknowledged the concerns of those who might be unable to vote at their designated polling units.
“Everybody would like to vote, you want to exercise your franchise,” he said.
He explained that INEC had proposed the introduction of early voting during the amendment of the Electoral Act, but the proposal did not receive the support of the National Assembly.
“This is still not known to our law, but it’s going to still be a process of advocacy to ensure that this is done,” he said.
Amupitan added that he had continued to raise the issue since his appointment, expressing hope that the proposal would eventually receive legislative attention.
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