The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially concluded a sweeping biometric audit of Nigeria’s preliminary voter roll. The national electoral body confirmed that INEC removes 1.6m names from voters register files following an exhaustive verification process designed to safeguard the integrity of the 2027 general elections.
The nationwide audit eliminated 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrants uncovered during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) cycle. An additional 873 records belonging to verified deceased citizens were separately removed, bringing the total number of deleted entries to 1,609,553.
Massive Clean-Up Ahead of 2027 Polls
The comprehensive scrubbing followed the public display of the preliminary register conducted across registration areas and online portals between October 9 and October 15. During that window, the commission gathered direct claims, objections, and public scrutiny regarding erroneous or fraudulent entries.
The preliminary dataset drew from over 11 million harvested entries collected across three continuous registration phases. The Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) originally flagged more than 1.5 million profiles for manual adjudication, isolating duplicate registrations, underage enrollments, and defective facial captures.
Through biometric de-duplication and post-display adjudication, hundreds of thousands of questionable entries were systematically removed. The commission noted that every flagged file underwent multi-level technical review before being permanently excluded from the voter roll.
Disciplinary Action Against Complicit Personnel
Alongside the technical cleanup, electoral authorities launched internal administrative inquiries to uncover how irregular profiles entered the national database. Inquiries revealed that 54 electoral staff members stationed across 10 states actively participated in registration infractions.
Electoral leadership issued a firm warning that internal misconduct will not be tolerated. The commission announced that all implicated personnel will face internal disciplinary hearings, administrative dismissals, and formal criminal prosecution under the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Legal and civic watchdog groups have widely supported the move, urging authorities to ensure that systemic abuses do not undermine public confidence in democratic institutions before campaigning begins.
PVC Distribution and Final Register Timelines
The commission confirmed that the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for the earliest registration phases remains ongoing at local government offices nationwide. The cards for citizens who registered during the third phase are currently in transit from production hubs and will arrive at regional centers shortly.
From December 1, 2026, PVC collection will decentralized directly to electoral wards across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The electoral body appealed to newly enrolled voters for patience as logistics teams finalize physical card transfers.
Final reconciliation, database hardening, and publication checks are currently underway. The finalized, tamper-proof national register of voters will be officially published and presented to all registered political parties on December 15, 2026.
