Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Ahead of the 2027 general election, the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission's voter register has come under intense scrutiny following the revelation by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, that the names of many deceased persons—some who died as far back as 15 years ago—remain on the country's voter roll. Amupitan made the disclosure while receiving the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team in Abuja.
According to INEC records, there are over 93 million names on the register used for the 2023 general election. The register was compiled in 2011 and has not been comprehensively reviewed since then. Amupitan revealed that entries belonging to Nigerians who died as far back as 2011 remain on INEC's records, alongside cases of duplication. He noted that a credible, well-quantified voter register would significantly reduce the overall cost of conducting elections, explaining that INEC currently has to print materials in excess of the over 100 million entries on its register to accommodate discrepancies.
The INEC chairman was candid about identity-related challenges, stating that "voter identity can easily be stolen, easily be impersonated, and easily be duplicated". He stressed that the newly signed NIMC Act 2026 lays the foundation for a new electoral system built on verified identity and stronger data integrity. With NIMC's database now covering more than 136 million enrolled Nigerians, Amupitan expressed confidence that deeper cross-platform integration between the two commissions would allow for continuous auditing, verification, and elimination of duplicate or underage entries on the voter register.
The INEC chairman had earlier attempted to review the register this year, but suspicion over the motive behind the exercise by the opposition forced him to back down. He noted that before 2011, "when there was no digital capture of voters, somebody could write 50 names and just give them to you to register," and such names might not belong to existing persons. He appealed to Nigerians to engage in claims and objections at their polling units, pointing out that "people don't come out in their various polling units to point out that, 'Oh, this person has died; this one is no longer in our community'".
The NIMC boss, Coker-Odusote, assured INEC of full support, pledging that identity remains the foundation of effective governance and credible election planning. The INEC chairman's revelation has confirmed the fears of many Nigerians. A university lecturer, Dr Samuel Adegboye, believes that having dead persons' names on the voter register aids election manipulation. He suggested that "some corrupt INEC officials are working in cahoots with some dubious politicians to ensure that election manipulation is made possible," adding that with the names of dead persons in the register, "it becomes very easy for politicians to inflate figures at the end of the day".
However, Adegboye noted that the INEC chairman did not disclose the number of dead persons on the register, which "could be in the hundreds of thousands". He commended Amupitan for his honesty but urged him to back up his words with action. A retired civil servant, Johnson Adewale, said cleaning the register would not only reduce opportunities for manipulation but also save public funds by preventing the printing of unnecessary election materials.
Amupitan emphasised that INEC cannot build a robust democracy in isolation. He noted that "all of these technological and administrative triumphs mean nothing if the citizens remain detached, uninformed, cynical or completely uneducated about the power of their votes". The commission has already entered into partnership with NIMC to ensure a credible voters register and transparent elections in next year's polls, with the online voter registration platform now deliberately anchored on the National Identification Number as a verification protocol.
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