INEC has cleaned up over 1.6 million invalid voter registrations and names of deceased persons ahead of the December 15 register publication.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially removed 1,609,553 improper records from its database as part of major clean-up activities ahead of the final publication of the official national voter register, scheduled for December 15, 2026.
The electoral umpire said the extensive review targeted double registrations, incorrect photographs, illegal entries, and names of deceased citizens to ensure full transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The landmark update was made public during a press briefing held on Monday at the INEC national headquarters in Abuja by the Chairman of the Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN.
The electoral chief explained that the removal of the bad records followed careful cross-checking of complaints, claims, and objections raised by members of the public after the preliminary voter list was displayed across the country between October 9 and October 15.
Breaking down the total numbers removed from the system, the INEC leadership explained that out of more than eleven million total entries recorded during the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) drive, over 1.6 million entries failed basic integrity checks.
The commission also discovered that 54 electoral staff spread across ten different states allegedly helped people break registration rules, warning that affected workers will face internal punishment and police trial.
Explaining the exact numbers cleared out from the central database, INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, 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.”
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Giving further details on how the system was cleaned to ensure that only real and living voters remain on the official list, the INEC Chairman added:
“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 commission clarified that most of the funny photographs, duplicate names, and strange details circulating on the internet came from old historical records collected between 2011 and 2023.
Additionally, citizens who moved to new locations and tried to register fresh entries instead of applying for an official address transfer had their new entries canceled automatically by the system.
On the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), the commission assured the public that Phase 1 and Phase 2 cards are currently being given out at local government offices across the country, while Phase 3 cards will reach state offices next week before moving directly to local ward centers by December 1.
The electoral body reconfirmed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine will successfully stop any attempt at double voting on election day through advanced fingerprint and facial scanning technologies.
Civil society groups and political parties have expressed satisfaction with the ongoing clean-up exercise as the country prepares for the final voter register publication next month.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
