2027 Elections: INEC Drops 1.6 Million Invalid Voter Entries, Sets December 16 for Updated Register

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations from Nigeria’s preliminary voter register ahead of the 2027 general elections. The commission says it will publish the updated register on December 16, 2026.

INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan announced the removals on Monday after a nationwide review of more than 11 million records submitted during the 2025–2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise. He said records flagged by the commission’s biometric system were examined further before a decision was made on whether to remove them.

The review followed public complaints after INEC displayed the preliminary register at wards across the country from October 9 to 15. Among the concerns raised were duplicate entries and voter photographs suspected of being generated by artificial intelligence.

Amupitan said 54 registration officials across 10 states had been identified for possible disciplinary action, including prosecution, over their alleged involvement in registration irregularities.

For voters who registered during the exercise, the December release will be the next opportunity to check whether their details appear on the updated list.