By Emma Ombugadu, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has cleansed the national voter register of AI-generated images, manipulated photographs, duplicate registrations and names of deceased persons ahead of the 2027 general election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing in Abuja, where he announced the completion of the cleansing exercise.
Amupitan said the exercise followed complaints and objections raised by members of the public after the commission displayed the preliminary register of voters between October 9 and 15, 2026.
He said Nigerians had complained about suspected duplicate registrations, manipulated photographs, unusual names and registration patterns, as well as deceased persons allegedly remaining on the voter register.
He noted that some Nigerians had expressed concerns that the irregularities could be deliberate attempts to compromise the credibility of the 2027 general election.
According to him, INEC waited until the expiration of the 14-day statutory period provided under Section 19(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 before reviewing the complaints and taking corrective measures.
“The cleansing exercise aimed at addressing the irregularities observed in the 2025-2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise has been concluded,” Amupitan declared.
The INEC chairman, however, identified historical voter registration records dating back to 2011 as a major source of concern, explaining that many of the complaints about multiple registrations originated from records accumulated between 2011 and 2023.
He said the national voter register had evolved through successive registration exercises conducted under different technologies and operational standards, leaving some historical inconsistencies that required systematic attention.
Providing details of the review, Amupitan disclosed that INEC processed 11,088,238 registration records generated from the three phases of the 2025-2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise using its Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS.
He explained that the system initially flagged 1,545,052 records for further examination, stressing that being flagged did not automatically mean a registration was invalid.
Before the preliminary register was published, 1,277,052 registrations had already been confirmed invalid and excluded.
Following public complaints and objections during the display period, another 268,000 cases underwent adjudication. Of these, 217,722 were declared invalid and removed, while 50,278 were confirmed valid and retained in the register.
Amupitan further revealed that subsequent screening identified an additional 113,886 invalid registrations, which were also removed following complaints and findings by INEC’s Information and Communication Technology department.
The chairman also addressed the commission’s previously announced nationwide voter revalidation exercise, which was postponed following concerns from stakeholders about its proximity to the 2027 general election.
He explained that the decision to defer the exercise until after the elections did not prevent INEC from continuing its established procedures for verifying and maintaining the integrity of the voter register.
“Biometric screening, adjudication, statutory claims and objections, and other established verification procedures remain integral to the preparation of the final register of voters,” he said.
Amupitan added that the commission remained committed to ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the national voter register, noting that the final register is scheduled for publication on December 15, 2026.
