The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received over 4,800 claims and approximately 600 objections regarding discrepancies in the preliminary register of voters, issuing a firm promise that all identified errors will be corrected before the final register is certified on December 15, 2026.
The figures were disclosed on Thursday afternoon, October 29, 2026, during a press briefing at the INEC National Headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking on behalf of the commission, Prof. Joy Amupitan, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, alongside official statements issued by commission spokesperson Mohammed Kudu Haruna, detailed the progress of the continuous voter scrutiny process.
According to Prof. Amupitan, the vast majority of the 4,800 claims gathered across designated Registration Area Centers and the commission’s digital portal pertain to minor administrative errors, typographical corrections, name misspellings, and age or address adjustments submitted by voters verifying their details.
Conversely, the roughly 600 objections raised directly through Electoral Officers and Resident Electoral Commissioners across state offices focus on purging ineligible entries, deceased voters, non-citizens, and suspected duplicate records from the database, which currently holds over 103 million registered citizens nationwide.
The announcement comes amid heightened public scrutiny following the online display of the preliminary register on October 26, 2026, when civil rights groups and citizens raised concerns over potential procedural breaches, including instances of suspected artificial intelligence-generated portrait photographs in certain registration units.
Responding to these developments, Mohammed Kudu Haruna confirmed that the commission is thoroughly investigating the anomalies to ensure full accountability, thanking vigilant citizens for bringing such concerns to light.
Under Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, the commission is now embarking on a structured multi-phase timeline leading to the general elections.
Beginning with an adjudication and verification phase running through November 30, 2026, local Electoral Officers will process every submission before advanced Automated Biometric Identification System checks are executed during the first two weeks of December to eliminate duplicate entries and AI-generated anomalies.
The entire process will culminate in the official certification and release of the clean final voter register on December 15, 2026.
