INEC to Sanction 54 Officials Over Voter Register Irregularities Ahead of 2027 Elections

Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission has identified 54 registration personnel across 10 states for possible disciplinary action, including prosecution, over irregularities found in the voters register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan disclosed the figure on Monday while addressing journalists on the outcome of the review of the Preliminary Register of Voters, which was displayed nationwide between October 9 and 15, 2026.

“Being flagged by the automated system did not automatically invalidate a registration, as each case was subjected to further examination and authorised adjudication.”

The commission removed 1,609,553 records from the voters register following a nationwide cleaning exercise. These comprised 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons.

INEC received 11,088,238 registration records from the three phases of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise. Its Automated Biometric Identification System initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination.

Before publication of the Preliminary Register, 1,277,052 registrations were confirmed invalid and excluded. After public display and complaints, another 268,000 cases underwent adjudication, with 217,722 confirmed invalid and removed while 50,278 were cleared and retained.

Additional screening identified 113,886 more invalid registrations, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed invalid records removed after public objections and review to 331,608.

Amupitan clarified that being flagged by the automated system did not automatically invalidate a registration, as each case was subjected to further examination and authorised adjudication.