1.5 Million Questionable Voter Records: INEC Vows to Punish Compromised Officials

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has threatened severe sanctions against officials implicated in the alleged manipulation of Nigeria’s voter registration database after uncovering more than 1.5 million questionable records in the preliminary Register of Voters ahead of the 2027 general election.

The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, disclosed that its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) had flagged 1,545,052 questionable records out of 11,088,238 registrations recorded during the 2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

Bayode described the discovery as disturbing and embarrassing, warning that officials found culpable would face severe consequences.

According to the commission, approximately 268,000 flagged records remained subject to human verification, while a substantial number had already been removed following its data-cleaning exercise.

INEC explained that its biometric screening system uses fingerprint and facial recognition technology to identify suspicious registrations, including possible multiple registrations and questionable identity records.

The commission disclosed that some registration officials allegedly exploited a special registration provision designed to accommodate persons with disabilities who have incomplete or missing fingers.

The provision, which allows eligible applicants to register through alternative procedures, was allegedly abused to create fictitious voter profiles.

INEC also identified instances of identical photographs appearing against different voter profiles, as well as images reportedly taken from calendars and picture frames and used to deceive its web-based registration platform.

The commission said it had withdrawn access from officials under investigation and was relying on digital records, login credentials and one-time password authentication to establish individual responsibility.

INEC maintained that the investigation would be evidence-driven to avoid implicating innocent officials, adding that those found culpable could face stiffer punishment than offenders in previous electoral registration controversies.