The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified 54 registration personnel across 10 states for disciplinary action, including possible prosecution, following the discovery of widespread irregularities in the voters register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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The commission also announced the removal of 1,608,660 invalid voter registration records, alongside 873 entries belonging to verified deceased individuals, after completing a comprehensive cleanup of the Preliminary Register of Voters.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed these findings during a press conference in Abuja on Monday, November 9, 2026, while presenting the outcome of the verification exercise conducted after the public display of the preliminary register between October 9 and October 15, 2026.
According to Professor Amupitan, technical audits of the register uncovered several infractions committed during the registration phase, including suspected multiple registrations, manipulated or substituted photographs, unusual registration patterns, and the deliberate circumvention of established registration procedures by certain field officers.
He explained that the commission’s assessment revealed that some officials exploited special administrative provisions meant to accommodate exceptional registration cases, including guidelines designed to assist persons with disabilities.
Amupitan noted that all compromised records have been isolated and subjected to strict remediation protocols, while the 54 implicated registration officers have been slated for internal administrative investigation and potential legal prosecution.
To prevent similar breaches in future exercises, the INEC chairman added that the commission is reinforcing its registration infrastructure through upgraded biometric capture, stricter authentication protocols, and enhanced verification safeguards.
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