The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed more than 1.6 million records from Nigeria’s preliminary voter register.
The cleanup comes ahead of the 2027 general elections and the publication of the final register on December 15, 2026.
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, explaining that the exercise followed complaints from Nigerians.
He said the commission removed invalid registrations and records belonging to deceased voters.
According to Amupitan, the commission identified 1,608,660 invalid registrations and 873 records linked to verified deceased persons.
He stated: “The cumulative total of confirmed invalid registrations removed after the objections, claims and complaints is 331,608, in addition to the 873 separately verified deceased voters’ records. This brings the total clean-up to 1,608,660.”
He further explained: “All 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations have been removed. In addition, 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons have also been removed as a separate category.
“The combined total of records removed under these two categories is 1,609,553.”
The cleanup followed the public display of the preliminary register between October 9 and 15.
INEC had collected 11,088,238 registration records during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
Amupitan also disclosed that 54 people across 10 states were identified over alleged attempts to manipulate voter registration.
He said those involved could face disciplinary action or prosecution.
The chairman explained that some duplicate records, unusual photographs and strange names circulating online came from older voter records.
These records dated back to the 2011–2023 period.
He added that some voters who relocated registered again instead of transferring their existing registration. Their new records were consequently invalidated.
Amupitan also provided an update on Permanent Voter Card distribution.
He said collection for Phases One and Two was ongoing at local government offices.
Phase Three cards would be sent to states the following week.
Distribution would return to Registration Areas from December 1.
He assured Nigerians that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would prevent multiple voting.
The system uses fingerprint or facial recognition to verify voters.
This cleanup is part of preparations for the 2027 elections. The commission says the exercise will help improve the accuracy of the final register before its publication.
