54 INEC officials risk prosecution as commission removes 1,609,553 names from voters’ register

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has revealed that a total of 1,609,553 records have been removed from the nation’s voter’s register, ahead of the forthcoming general election.

This figure, according to the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, comprised 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 verified deceased-voter records.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Amupitan vowed that INEC will continue to communicate verifiable aggregate outcomes while protecting personal information and the integrity of ongoing investigations.

He revealed that fifty-four persons, cutting across ten States, have been identified as complicit and that necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them including possible prosecution.

According to him, “Consequently, before publication of the Preliminary Register, 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded from the 1,545,052 for examination.

“As a result of objections, claims and complaints received during the display and publication, a further 268,000 cases underwent adjudication. 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.

“Additional screening subsequently identified 113,886 further invalid registrations, which were also removed.

“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.

“The Commission confirms that the current register-cleaning exercise for the 2025/2026 Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) has been concluded.

“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.

“Final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks remain to ensure that approved changes are accurately reflected in the final register, scheduled for publication on 15 December 2026. “With this, the complaints and irregularities raised by the public on the preliminary register for the 2025/2026 CVR have been addressed”

Speaking g in how the irregularities arise and and what was being done, Amupitan said, “The Commission considers the 1,609,553 as significant enough to warrant an examination of how it occurred and those responsible for this.

“The technical assessment examined suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and irregularities associated with registration transactions.

“The Commission found instances in which certain registration personnel deliberately circumvented established registration procedures and misused provisions intended for exceptional registration circumstances including for persons with dissabilities.

“The affected records have been identified and subjected to the appropriate review and remediation processes, while the associated personnel have been identified for further administrative investigation.

“To prevent recurrence, the Commission is strengthening its registration controls with enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards.

“Fifty-four persons cutting across ten States have been identified as complicit and necessary disciplinary action will be taken against them including possible prosecution.