By Omeiza Ajayi

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has explained why those who registered in the third phase of its Continuous Voter Registration CVR are yet to have their Permanent Voter Cards even as it announced a massive purge of the national voter register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, disclosed that the commission has successfully removed 1,609,553 invalid and deceased records from the system.

“The Commission recognises that the detection of irregularities raises legitimate questions about how they arose. The response is evidence-led investigation, completed corrective action and stronger preventive controls.

“1,609,553 records have been removed, comprising 1,608,660 confirmed invalid registrations and 873 verified deceased-voter records. INEC will continue to communicate verifiable aggregate outcomes while protecting personal information and the integrity of ongoing investigations”, said Amupitan.

Addressing reporters regarding the status of unprinted cards, the INEC Chairman stated: “The distribution of Phases 1 and 2 of the PVC and transferred PVCs is on-going at the various LGAs in Nigeria. Some of the PVC for the third and final Phase are being delivered and they would be dispatched to the States by next week.

“Meanwhile as from 1st December 2026, distribution will go back to the Registration Areas all over Nigeria. We appeal to those that registered in the third pahse to be a little bit patient since the production is done outside the country”.

Vanguard recalls that those who registered in total in the third phase were 2,970,257 before the commission’s de-duplication protocol.

The sweeping clean-up of the register followed widespread public outcry and intense scrutiny over anomalies spotted on the preliminary register displayed between October 9 and 15, 2026.

A rigorous technical audit utilizing the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) uncovered systemic manipulations, including unusual registration patterns, substituted photographs, and fraudulent multiple registrations.

Crucially, the investigation indicted internal personnel who abused their offices. Prof. Amupitan revealed that the commission identified 54 staff members cutting across 10 states who deliberately bypassed standard operating procedures and exploited special provisions meant for vulnerable citizens, such as persons with disabilities. Disciplinary actions and possible prosecutions have been initiated against the culprits.

Reacting to media inquiries surrounding court cases involving political actors, the INEC Chairman maintained that the electoral umpire operates strictly on authenticated legal instruments rather than speculative reports.

“On ADC/Atiku: as of today, we have not received the Certified True Copy of the court judgment and we don’t act based on what we see on the social media”, he said.

INEC noted that while the recent 2025/2026 CVR clean-up resolved immediate anomalies, historical data carried over from 2011 to 2023 continues to present legacy duplications. Consequently, the commission’s board has directed that flagged entries from past cycles be expunged after verification.

To further safeguard the integrity of the upcoming 2027 polls, INEC assured the public that robust mechanisms—including the mandatory physical presence of voters and biometric authentication via the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) using fingerprints or facial recognition—remain firmly in place to prevent multiple voting and unauthorized accreditation.

2027: INEC removes 1.6m names from voters register

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