INEC deletes 1.6 million invalid voter records — and fingers 54 of its own officials
Photo: INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan · Source: School Info Spot (Oct 2025 file photo)
The commission removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations and 873 records of deceased voters, and says 54 of its own registration staff manipulated the process.
Key points
- INEC has removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations from the preliminary voters’ register, plus 873 records of verified deceased voters — 1,609,553 records in total.
- Amupitan said INEC will now extend scrutiny to historical records from 2011–2023, and the final register will be published on 15 Dec 2026.
- The clean-up followed public complaints after the preliminary register was displayed 9–15 Oct 2026.
INEC has removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations from the preliminary voters’ register, plus 873 records of verified deceased voters — 1,609,553 records in total. Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan announced the clean-up at a press conference in Abuja on Monday evening.
The clean-up followed public complaints after the preliminary register was displayed 9–15 Oct 2026. The Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged 1,545,052 of the 11,088,238 records from the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise; 1,277,052 had already been excluded before publication, and a further 331,608 were removed after the display.
The commission identified 54 registration personnel across 10 states who allegedly deliberately manipulated procedures — including AI-generated profiles and abuse of provisions for persons with disabilities — and said they face disciplinary action including possible prosecution; double registrants may also be prosecuted.
Amupitan said INEC will now extend scrutiny to historical records from 2011–2023, and the final register will be published on 15 Dec 2026. One outlet, Ghanamma, says 16 Dec; NewsFlux is using 15 Dec, per Premium Times and The Nation.
The NDC alleged 50 million phantom voters in the register — that figure is the party’s claim, not INEC’s, and is not verified. NewsFlux is not repeating it as fact.
Why this matters
The purge removes 1.6 million records — and puts 54 of INEC's own staff in the frame for manipulating the register.
Latest developments
First published 10 Nov 2026, 08:38 WAT.
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Sources
- Premium Times — INEC removes 1.6 million names from voters' register, fingers 54 officials
- The Nation — INEC to discipline, prosecute 54 staff over voter registration fraud in 10 states
- Independent — INEC uncovers massive voter registration fraud, deletes 1.6m records
- Politics Nigeria — INEC removes over 1.6 million invalid names from voter register
Figures verified across Premium Times, The Nation, Independent and Politics Nigeria, all tracing to INEC's Monday press conference. The NDC's '50 million phantom voters' is the party's claim, not INEC's, and is NOT repeated as fact. Final-register date: 15 Dec per most outlets (Ghanamma says 16 Dec — flagged).