The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,609,553 records from the national register of voters following irregularities uncovered during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, while identifying 54 staff members across 10 states for alleged complicity.

The INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday, during a press conference at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

He also announced new measures to strengthen voter registration and prevent further manipulation of the register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to Mr Amupitan, the vommission harvested 11,088,238 records from the three phases of the registration exercise, with its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) initially flagging 1,545,052 records for further examination.

He clarified that flagged records were not automatically invalid, explaining that each case had to undergo proper review and adjudication.

He noted that 1,608,660 registrations were confirmed invalid, while 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons were separately removed.

The chairman explained that 268,000 additional cases were subjected to adjudication following complaints, claims and objections during the display of the preliminary vote register. Of these, 217,722 were declared invalid, while 50,278 were cleared and retained.

Mr Amupitan said investigations uncovered cases of suspected multiple registrations, substituted photographs, unusual registration patterns and deliberate circumvention of established procedures by some registration personnel.

He stated, “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 added that 54 persons across 10 states had been identified as complicit and would face disciplinary measures, including possible prosecution.

As part of efforts to prevent the manipulation of voter records, the commission also directed its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department to discontinue the use of web cameras during voter registration.

Mr Amupitan said the commission would introduce an app-based camera system to ensure photographs were captured directly through its approved application rather than imported from external sources.

“We have just directed the director of ICT now that our IVFs, this web camera, should not be allowed again. Instead, we should have an app camera. It is what is on the app that will take picture,” he said.

He also announced that INEC had approved a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance framework developed with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the UK High Commission to guide responsible AI deployment.

On the leadership dispute involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the INEC chairman said the commission would not act on reports of a court judgement circulating on social media until it officially received and examined the ruling.

“We don’t just act on the basis of what is on the social media,” he said.

Mr Amupitan explained that judgments received by the commission would first undergo legal and departmental assessment before being presented for consideration.

The chairman warned that removing irregularities from the 2025/2026 registration exercise would not automatically resolve longstanding problems in the national register.

He said many duplicated names and photographs circulating online originated from registration exercises conducted between 2011 and 2023, adding that the commission had resolved to begin addressing such cases through proper verification.

“The commission remains committed both to removing confirmed invalid entries and to protecting eligible Nigerians from wrongful exclusion,” he stated.

The commission assured voters that biometric authentication through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would prevent multiple voting on election day.

The commission scheduled the publication of the final voter register for December 15, 2026, while PVC distribution is continuing nationwide.

It noted that its proposal for early voting for journalists and election officials did not receive the National Assembly’s support during the amendment of the Electoral Act.