Jane Salihu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified 54 persons across 10 states allegedly involved in manipulating voter registration procedures, with the Commission considering disciplinary action and possible prosecution against those implicated.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during a press conference on the preliminary register of voters, where he revealed that the Commission had concluded an extensive cleaning exercise that resulted in the removal of 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to deceased voters.
Amupitan explained that the investigation followed complaints, claims and objections raised by Nigerians during the display of the Preliminary Register of Voters between October 9 and 15, 2026, as well as subsequent public scrutiny of the register.
According to him, the Commission subjected 268,000 disputed cases to further adjudication following the complaints, out of which 217,722 registrations were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.
He added that additional screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the total number of invalid entries removed after the public complaints to 331,608.
The INEC chairman, however, said the investigation revealed that some registration personnel deliberately circumvented established procedures and abused provisions designed to accommodate exceptional registration circumstances, including registration for persons with disabilities.
He noted that the Commission had identified the affected records and commenced administrative processes against the personnel involved, while strengthening biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
Amupitan further disclosed that the irregularities were not limited to the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise, as several cases of multiple registrations and questionable photographs circulating on social media originated from historical voter records dating between 2011 and 2023.
He said the Commission had consequently resolved to extend its scrutiny to the historical register, directing that previously flagged and obvious cases of duplication should be removed after proper verification.
Addressing complaints by some Nigerians who claimed their names were missing from the preliminary register, the INEC chairman explained that many of the affected persons had registered between 2011 and 2023 but subsequently registered again after relocating instead of transferring their voter registration.
He said the subsequent registrations were voided by the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), while their original records remained at their previous registration locations.
On Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Amupitan said distribution of cards from the first and second phases, including transferred PVCs, was ongoing across local government areas, while cards produced under the third phase were expected to be dispatched to states the following week.
He added that distribution would return to Registration Areas nationwide from December 1, 2026.
The INEC chairman assured Nigerians that the Commission remained committed to protecting eligible voters from wrongful exclusion while eliminating invalid entries, adding that the final register of voters would be published on December 15, 2026.
He also maintained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), alongside existing election-day procedures, would provide additional safeguards against multiple accreditation and voting ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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