•Yet to receive court orders on ADC, Tinubu, Amupitan
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from the voters’ register ahead of the forthcoming general election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the figure comprised 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 verified deceased-voter records.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Amupitan said 54 persons across 10 states had been identified as complicit and would face disciplinary action, including possible prosecution.
He said INEC would continue to communicate verifiable aggregate outcomes while protecting personal information and the integrity of ongoing investigations.
“Before publication of the Preliminary Register, 1,277,052 registrations had been confirmed invalid and excluded from the 1,545,052 examined,” he said.
“As a result of objections, claims and complaints during the display, a further 268,000 cases underwent adjudication. 217,722 were confirmed invalid and removed, while 50,278 were cleared as valid and retained.”
He added that additional screening 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,” he said.
“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.”
He said final reconciliation, quality assurance and publication checks were ongoing to ensure approved changes were 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,” he said.
On how the irregularities occurred, Amupitan said the Commission considered the 1,609,553 records significant enough to warrant an examination of how they occurred and who was responsible.
“The technical assessment examined suspected multiple registrations, unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs and irregularities associated with registration transactions,” he said.
“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 disabilities.”
He said the affected records had been identified and subjected to review and remediation, while the associated personnel had been identified for further administrative investigation.
“To prevent recurrence, the Commission is strengthening its registration controls with enhanced biometric capture, authentication and verification safeguards,” he added.
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