Ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voters’ register faces renewed scrutiny after INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan confirmed that names of deceased people remain listed. Multiple reports say Amupitan disclosed this during a meeting in Abuja with the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her team. He reportedly stated that some entries belong to people who have been dead for up to 15 years.
The reports also say INEC has partnered with NIMC to clean the register using verified identity data. Amupitan reportedly links a bloated register to increased costs, including the printing of excess election materials for more than 100 million entries to account for discrepancies. He adds that integrating INEC systems with NIMC’s database—covering over 136 million Nigerians—would support continuous auditing and the removal of duplicates, underage entries, and deceased persons.
Stakeholders quoted in the reports welcome the admission but call for swift action, raising concerns about possible election manipulation, “ghost” voters, and risks such as voter impersonation. INEC and NIMC both pledge continued cooperation to improve transparency and accuracy.
