The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has flagged approximately 1.5 million questionable voter registrations, confirming that over 1.27 million invalid entries have already been deleted from the national database ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja during separate meetings with the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, and the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pete Vowles.
According to Amupitan, the continuous cleanup—driven by automated verification technology, claims, and objections—is aimed at ensuring a credible voter database before the final register of voters is published on December 15.
”The National Register of Voters currently stands at over 103 million, with young Nigerians aged 18 to 34 accounting for nearly 29 per cent,” the INEC Chairman said.
UN Warns Against Electoral Violence
Speaking during his visit, UN Representative Leonardo Santos Simão urged political actors to ensure that the 2027 general elections do not become a catalyst for violence or regional instability.
”We are here, pleased to give you moral support, that you are not alone in facing this mammoth task,” Simão stated, emphasizing that peaceful elections in Nigeria are vital for stability across West Africa. He clarified that while the UN will maintain a presence to encourage peaceful conduct, it will not officially observe the polls due to mandate limitations.
INEC Progress and Emerging Digital Threats
Providing an update on operational preparedness, Amupitan revealed that INEC has completed 9 out of 14 key activities on its revised election timetable.
Key milestones achieved include:
Deployment of the Candidates Nomination Portal, processing entries from 21 of the 22 registered political parties.
Procurement of 57,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices.
Supply of electoral materials across 176,846 polling units.
Early security alignment with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
However, Amupitan warned of emerging threats to the 2027 elections, specifically citing misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, and the deliberate misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He appealed to international partners like the United Kingdom for technical assistance in cybersecurity, electoral staff training, strategic communication, and inclusive voter education.
In response, British High Commissioner Pete Vowles reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s democratic process through technical aid, policy development, and capacity building.
