Nigeria's electoral commission removes 1.6 million names from voter register
INEC says at least 54 of its own staff are suspected of involvement in the irregular entries, with the 2027 general elections just over two months away.
Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed more than 1.6 million irregular records from the national voter register as the country prepares for general elections that are now just over two months away.
The commission said it had also identified at least 54 members of its own staff who are suspected of involvement in the irregular registrations.
INEC is led by Joash Amupitan, whom President Bola Tinubu appointed as chairman in 2025. In the 2027 vote, Nigerians will elect a president, federal legislators and state officials.
A long-running concern
The credibility of the register has been a recurring point of contention in Nigerian elections. Ahead of the 2023 polls, reports that minors had been entered on the roll provoked public anger, and opposition parties have previously called for investigations into INEC's registration data.
The run-up to the 2027 elections has already proved turbulent. Earlier this month, a court nullified the presidential candidacy of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
How the commission deals with the staff it has identified, and whether the purge satisfies parties and observers who have questioned the register in the past, will be closely watched in the weeks before polling day.