INEC voter register clean-up removes 1.6m invalid registrations as 54 officials face possible prosecution and new safeguards target manipulated photographs

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chaired by Professor Joash Amupitan, has removed 1,608,660 confirmed invalid voter registrations from Nigeria’s electoral register, identified 54 officials across 10 states for possible disciplinary action and ordered the discontinuation of external webcam-based photograph uploads as part of efforts to strengthen electoral credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan announced the measures on Monday, November 9, 2026, during an emergency press briefing in Abuja on the outcome of the commission’s review of the Preliminary Register of Voters.

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The announcement followed public concerns about suspicious voter registration records, including multiple registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual registration patterns and entries belonging to deceased persons.

The commission’s latest intervention represents a significant attempt to address questions surrounding the integrity of Nigeria’s voter register before the next general elections.

According to Amupitan, INEC received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

The commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination.

However, the chairman stressed that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically mean that a registration was invalid. Each case required further investigation and verification before a decision could be reached.

Before the preliminary register was published, 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded.

The commission subsequently reviewed another 268,000 cases following complaints, claims and objections received during the display of the preliminary register between October 9 and 15, 2026.

Of those cases, 217,722 registrations were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.

Further screening identified another 113,886 invalid registrations, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed invalid entries removed to 1,608,660.

Separately, INEC removed 873 records belonging to verified deceased voters.

The chairman explained that the exercise was necessary because the national register had accumulated records from successive registration exercises dating back to 2011, involving different technologies and operational standards.

He acknowledged that previous cleansing exercises had addressed some irregularities but said significant historical concerns remained.

The findings also prompted the commission to investigate the conduct of registration personnel suspected of deliberately circumventing established procedures.

Amupitan disclosed that 54 individuals across 10 states had been identified as allegedly complicit in registration irregularities.

“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.

The commission said the suspected infractions included the misuse of procedures intended for exceptional registration circumstances, particularly provisions relating to persons with disabilities.

The affected records have undergone verification and remediation, while the officials concerned have been identified for further administrative investigation.

The announcement does not mean that the 54 individuals have been convicted or that criminal prosecution has already commenced. INEC said disciplinary measures and possible prosecution would follow the appropriate investigative processes.

Another significant aspect of the reforms concerns the use of artificial intelligence and digital photography in voter registration.

INEC confirmed that its technical assessment uncovered cases involving manipulated photographs, including images suspected of being artificially generated or altered.

In response, the commission has directed its Director of Information and Communication Technology to discontinue external webcam-based image uploads during voter registration.

Under the revised approach, photographs will instead be captured through an approved application, giving the commission greater control over the image-capture process.

Amupitan explained that weaknesses in access controls could allow unauthorised individuals to compromise registration procedures.

“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.

The chairman also announced that INEC had approved a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework designed to regulate the responsible use of AI within its operations.

The framework was developed in collaboration with partners, including the Institute for Security Studies and the British High Commission, and had undergone peer review before receiving the commission’s approval.

Security agencies are also investigating the irregularities, while cases involving suspected criminal conduct will be forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

The commission’s decision comes amid growing concerns about the ability of artificial intelligence to generate convincing photographs, manipulate digital identities and potentially undermine the reliability of electronic registration systems.

INEC’s challenge will be to introduce stronger safeguards without unnecessarily excluding eligible Nigerians from participating in the electoral process.

Amupitan also addressed concerns raised by voters who discovered that their names were missing from the preliminary register.

According to the chairman, some affected individuals had originally registered between 2011 and 2023 but subsequently registered again after relocating, rather than formally transferring their existing registrations to their new locations.

The biometric system identified the subsequent registrations as duplicates and invalidated them, while the original records remained at the voters’ previous registration locations.

He therefore advised affected individuals to check their former polling locations before concluding that their names had been completely removed from the national register.

The commission also maintained that its decision to postpone a proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 elections did not prevent it from identifying and removing invalid entries through existing legal procedures.

On the protection of legitimate voters, Amupitan said existing electoral safeguards, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), would remain central to preventing multiple accreditation during elections.

The system requires voters to appear physically at their designated polling units and undergo biometric verification using fingerprints or facial recognition before accreditation.

The commission believes these measures, alongside improvements to its registration infrastructure, will strengthen the credibility of the electoral process.

However, INEC’s latest announcement also highlights the scale of the historical challenges facing the national voter register, particularly because some questionable records predate the current registration exercise by several years.

The commission said it had concluded the clean-up relating to the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise, with final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks continuing ahead of the release of the final register on December 15, 2026.

The chairman also addressed the question of early voting for journalists and electoral officials who will be occupied with election duties on polling day.

He said the proposal was not currently recognised under the existing electoral framework because attempts to introduce it through amendments to the Electoral Act had not received the necessary support from the National Assembly.

Nevertheless, Amupitan expressed support for continued discussions on the proposal, acknowledging that journalists and election personnel should also have the opportunity to exercise their voting rights.

The issue remains relevant because journalists and electoral officials often have responsibilities that keep them away from their regular polling locations during elections.

As preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum, the commission faces the dual responsibility of removing fraudulent registrations while ensuring that eligible Nigerians are not wrongly disenfranchised.

The removal of more than 1.6 million invalid registrations, the investigation involving 54 officials and the introduction of tighter digital image controls represent important steps in that process.

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Ultimately, the credibility of the next elections will depend not only on the accuracy of the voter register but also on the transparency of INEC’s procedures, the accountability of its personnel and the confidence Nigerians have in the commission’s ability to conduct a fair electoral process.