INEC Removes 1.6 Million Invalid Registrants Ahead of 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed 1,608,660 invalid registrants from Nigeria’s voter register as part of efforts to clean up the electoral roll ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The exercise also resulted in the removal of 876 voters verified to be deceased, following an assessment of claims, objections and complaints submitted after the commission displayed its preliminary voter register in October.

INEC said it would publish the cleaned-up register on December 16, 2026, in line with the electoral law.

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN,
photo credit: INEC

INEC Responds to Objections Over Preliminary Register

The removal exercise followed the public display of the preliminary voter register, which allowed claims and objections to be raised against entries considered inaccurate or invalid.

The commission said the latest clean-up had removed more than 1.6 million invalid registrations, alongside the 876 verified deceased voters.

The December 16 publication date will mark the release of the cleaned-up register ahead of the next general elections. The commission has not provided further details in the supplied announcement about the categories of invalid registrations removed or how the figure was distributed across states.

INEC Urges Media to Tackle Election Misinformation

Separately, INEC has called on journalists, media organisations and social media analysts to uphold professional standards in election reporting ahead of the 2027 general elections.

At a media engagement forum in Enugu State, the commission warned that misinformation, disinformation and inflammatory political narratives could weaken public confidence and threaten peaceful elections.

The event, held at Hotel Sylvia, brought together representatives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Institute of Social Media Analysts (NISMA), the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and media executives.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu State, Dr Chukwuemeka J. Chukwu, represented Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee.

Chukwu described the media as a strategic partner in the electoral process, responsible for connecting the commission with voters through public information, voter education and accountability.

He cautioned journalists against publishing unverified reports about election results, incidents at polling units, electoral materials and technology used in the voting process. He stressed that speculation should not be presented as established fact.

Voter Education and Responsible Reporting

INEC also urged media organisations to give greater attention to explaining voting procedures, including Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection, accreditation, voting and the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

The commission highlighted the importance of accurate reporting on electronic transmission of results and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

Haruna, through his representative, warned against the spread of inflammatory expressions such as “rig and die”, describing them as dangerous to the safety of electoral officials, voters, party agents and observers.

He called on journalists to report such language responsibly and provide context, while encouraging political stakeholders to use lawful channels to resolve electoral disputes.

The commission also urged media organisations to investigate and expose vote buying, and to help counter emerging forms of disinformation, including deepfakes and fake social media accounts.

INEC Calls for Election Desks and Fact-Checking

Presenting the objectives of the engagement on behalf of the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, Deputy Director of Information and Publicity Wilfred Ifogah said the forum was designed to strengthen cooperation between INEC and media practitioners.

He said discussions would promote accuracy, fairness, impartiality and verification in election coverage, while improving journalists’ understanding of the Electoral Act 2026 and the commission’s technological and operational processes.

Ifogah encouraged media organisations to establish dedicated election desks, strengthen editorial guidelines and introduce fact-checking systems ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.

He also urged journalists and social media analysts to verify election-related information through INEC’s official communication channels before publication and to avoid announcing results before they are formally declared by Returning Officers.

Participants were encouraged to take the lessons from the forum back to their newsrooms and digital platforms.

NUJ Seeks Continued Training for Journalists

In his goodwill message, NUJ Enugu State Council Chairman, Comrade Obinna Ogbuka, welcomed the commission and participants to the state.

He acknowledged the mistrust surrounding INEC and urged journalists to support accurate reporting and balanced coverage of the commission’s activities.

Ogbuka also called on INEC to sustain training and capacity-building programmes for journalists, saying media practitioners needed the necessary knowledge and skills to report effectively on the electoral process.

The forum featured presentations from INEC’s Legal, Information and Communication Technology/Voter Registration, and Electoral Operations departments. The sessions covered legal provisions, electoral technology and operational procedures ahead of the 2027 elections.

INEC’s voter register clean-up and its engagement with media organisations form part of the preparations for the next general elections. The cleaned-up register is scheduled for publication on December 16, while the commission is also seeking stronger public information and more responsible election coverage.