The credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections has come under fresh scrutiny after INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan confirmed that names of deceased persons, some dead for up to 15 years, are still listed.
Amupitan made the revelation while receiving the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her team in Abuja on Wednesday.
He disclosed that INEC has partnered with NIMC to clean up the register using verified identity data.
The chairman noted that the bloated register forces INEC to print excess election materials for over 100 million entries to cover discrepancies, inflating costs unnecessarily.
He expressed confidence that integration with NIMC’s database which now covers over 136 million Nigerians would enable continuous auditing, removal of duplicates, underage entries, and deceased persons.
Amupitan also highlighted identity-related risks, including voter impersonation and duplication, and pointed to INEC’s new online voter registration anchored on the National Identification Number (NIN) as a step toward better Continuous Voter Registration.
Stakeholders have welcomed the admission but called for swift action. University lecturer Dr Samuel Adegboye described the presence of dead names as a tool for potential election manipulation, noting possible collusion between corrupt officials and politicians to inflate figures. He urged INEC to also tackle “ghost voters.”
Retired civil servant Johnson Adewale emphasised the financial waste of printing ballot papers and materials for non-existent voters, while public affairs commentator Jason Osazuwa described the situation as shameful in the digital age and demanded concrete results from the INEC-NIMC collaboration.
Both NIMC and INEC pledged closer cooperation to deliver a credible, transparent voters’ register for the 2027 polls.
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