The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has removed invalid voter registrations and records of deceased persons as part of efforts to clean up the national voters’ register ahead of its final publication on December 15, 2026.

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the review of the preliminary voters’ register.

He said the commission identified 1,608,660 invalid registrations and 873 records belonging to verified deceased persons during the exercise.

Amupitan explained that the clean-up followed complaints, objections and claims submitted by Nigerians during the public display of the preliminary register between October 9 and 15.

He said INEC recorded 11,088,238 entries during the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise, adding that 331,608 confirmed invalid registrations had been removed following the review, alongside the 873 verified deceased persons.

The INEC chairman also disclosed that 54 individuals across 10 states had been identified for allegedly manipulating the voter registration process. He said they could face disciplinary action or prosecution, depending on the outcome of investigations.

Amupitan clarified that some duplicate records, unusual photographs and strange names circulating on social media originated from the commission’s historical voter register covering 2011 to 2023. He added that some new registrations by voters who relocated without transferring their existing records had also been invalidated.

On Permanent Voter Card (PVC) distribution, he said collection for the first and second phases was ongoing at local government areas, while cards for the third phase would be dispatched to states the following week.

He added that PVC distribution would return to registration areas from December 1.

Amupitan assured Nigerians that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would prevent multiple voting through its fingerprint and facial recognition features.