The Independent National Electoral Commission has uncovered widespread irregularities in Nigeria’s voter registration process, identifying 54 officials across 10 states for possible disciplinary action and prosecution while removing more than 1.6 million invalid records from the national voters’ register.
The commission’s Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of the nationwide review of the Preliminary Register of Voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said investigations revealed cases of multiple registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual registration patterns and deliberate violations of established registration procedures by some personnel.
According to Amupitan, the 54 officials were allegedly involved in compromising the registration process, including circumventing procedures designed to accommodate exceptional cases, particularly persons with disabilities.
“Fifty-four persons cutting across 10 states have been identified as complicit, and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them, including possible prosecution,” he said.
Providing details of the clean-up exercise, the INEC chairman said the commission removed 1,609,533 records, comprising 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 entries belonging to verified deceased voters.
He explained that the exercise followed the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration programme, which generated 11,088,238 registration records across its three phases.
The commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged 1,545,052 entries for further investigation. However, Amupitan clarified that being identified by the system did not automatically invalidate a registration, as each case was subjected to additional verification.
He said 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded before the preliminary register was displayed to the public.
Following complaints and objections raised during the nationwide display of the register between October 9 and 15, another 268,000 records were subjected to further examination.
Of the number, 217,722 were found to be invalid, while 50,278 were verified as genuine and retained.
The chairman added that subsequent screening uncovered another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the additional deletions arising from the review to 331,608.
When combined with the 1,277,052 records previously excluded, the total number of invalid registrations removed stood at 1,608,660, apart from the 873 deceased voters’ records.
Amupitan, however, warned that the latest exercise had not completely addressed all the integrity concerns surrounding the national register, noting that some questionable entries originated from previous registration exercises dating back to 2011.
He said the commission had resolved to extend its verification efforts to historical records captured between 2011 and 2023, particularly multiple registrations and suspicious photographs identified through public complaints.
According to him, the decision to postpone the proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 elections would not prevent INEC from removing questionable entries through its existing verification mechanisms.
The chairman also explained that some Nigerians who complained about missing names had registered afresh after relocating instead of applying to transfer their existing registrations.
He said the biometric system subsequently invalidated their new registrations, while their original records remained at their former polling units.
He advised affected voters to check their previous registration locations before concluding that their names had been removed from the national register.
On allegations of artificial intelligence-generated photographs being used to manipulate voter registration, Amupitan confirmed that the commission had discovered cases of substituted and manipulated images.
He said INEC had directed its Director of Information and Communication Technology to discontinue external webcam-based image uploads, insisting that photographs for registration must be captured through an approved application.
The chairman attributed some of the vulnerabilities to possible compromises involving access credentials, warning that technological manipulation could undermine the credibility of the registration process.
“You see, it takes just one person to compromise the password. Some of those things are given in authority. And when that is done, you know what AI can do,” he said.
To prevent further abuses, Amupitan disclosed that the commission had approved an Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework to guide the responsible use of AI in its operations.
He said the framework was developed in collaboration with the Institute for Security Studies and the British High Commission and had undergone peer review before receiving the commission’s approval.
He added that security agencies were independently investigating the registration irregularities, while cases involving suspected criminal conduct would be referred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.
Addressing concerns about the credibility of the 2027 general elections following the discovery of irregularities, the INEC chairman assured Nigerians that the commission was strengthening its technological infrastructure and cybersecurity systems.
He maintained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System would remain central to preventing multiple accreditation and voting.
According to him, voters must be physically present at their designated polling units for biometric verification through fingerprints or facial recognition before they can be accredited.
Amupitan also defended the public display of the preliminary voters’ register, describing it as an important statutory process that allows citizens to identify questionable entries and submit objections before the final register is published.
He said the commission was committed to protecting eligible voters from wrongful exclusion while ensuring that confirmed invalid registrations were removed.
The chairman disclosed that final reconciliation and quality assurance were ongoing ahead of the scheduled publication of the final voters’ register on December 15, 2026.
