The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is moving to remove about 1.5 million irregular registrations from the national voter register ahead of the 2027 general elections. 

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan said technology-enabled verification helped the commission identify the records, which it described as having irregularities and being targeted for removal. The announcement comes as the commission tries to restore confidence in the register ahead of the polls.

The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, gave a fuller breakdown on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday. He said more than 11 million people registered during the 2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise. When the records were run through INEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), about 1.5 million were flagged as suspicious. Of these, 1,277,252 were confirmed invalid and removed before the preliminary register was released. Roughly 268,000 others still require further verification.

Bayode alleged that some INEC registration officials abused their official access to create fraudulent voter profiles, some with fake or AI-generated photographs, images lifted from calendars, or manipulated biometric details. He said officials also misused a special registration option meant for people with disabilities who lack all their fingers, registering fictitious persons without fingerprints. According to him, the ABIS flagged those records because it detected faces with no matching fingerprints. He said he is compiling evidence against the officials involved, whose system access has been withdrawn, and will submit it to the commission for review and possible disciplinary action. He suggested the sanctions could be heavier than those handed to staff involved in similar misconduct in 2023.

Bayode said the irregularities were found in some states rather than nationwide, and that he cannot yet say whether the officials acted alone or as part of a wider scheme. He also dismissed any claim that stolen login details could shield the officials, since access requires a one-time password sent to the user’s email or phone.

He cautioned that not every AI-altered photo signals fraud, because some applicants used phone apps that automatically enhanced their pictures. Under ABIS rules, he said, flagged records must be reviewed by humans before removal so that eligible voters are not wrongly struck off.

The controversy began in October, when INEC uploaded the preliminary register online and Nigerians who checked the portal pointed out duplicate entries, names of deceased persons and photographs that appeared to be AI-generated. Bayode admitted the commission released the register with suspicious records still in it because the biometric screening took longer than expected and the legal timelines under the Electoral Act were closing in.

The release was moved from 6 October to 9 October. He acknowledged the damage to the commission’s image, saying public trust is at “ground zero”.

INEC plans to publish the final certified register on 15 December. Bayode said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will use facial verification on election day, making it difficult for anyone registered with a fake photograph to vote. He added that Nigerians can request certified true copies of the register to scrutinise it, and that a third party could be brought in to review it if the commission so decides.

The commission has also postponed a planned voter revalidation exercise until after the election, for fear that it could be used to disenfranchise eligible voters.

The announcement has drawn a sceptical reaction on social media, where some opposition-leaning users have accused the commission of laying the ground for rigging. INEC has insisted its aim is to deliver a credible election.