INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed on Monday that the commission removed 1,608,660 registrations confirmed to be invalid, alongside 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons.
The review uncovered suspected duplicate registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual registration patterns and other breaches of voter registration procedures.
Amupitan also announced that 54 individuals across 10 states had been identified for further investigation over alleged involvement in the irregularities. They could face disciplinary measures, including prosecution, depending on the outcome of investigations.
The commission said its Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged more than 1.5 million records for examination, but stressed that being flagged did not automatically make a registration invalid. Each case underwent further review before a decision was reached.
INEC said the exercise followed public complaints and objections after the preliminary voters’ register was displayed in October. It is also strengthening biometric verification and other registration safeguards to prevent similar irregularities.
The cleaned-up register is expected to be finalised and published in December, ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections. The exercise comes amid heightened public scrutiny of the credibility of the voter register and the commission’s preparations for the next general elections.
