The Independent National Electoral Commission has found that the names of numerous deceased Nigerians remain on the nation’s voters register.
The commission also announced plans to clean up the list across the nation.
The disclosure was made in Abuja on February 4, 2026, by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, during the commission’s first quarterly meeting with Civil Society Organisations.
Amupitan explained that an internal review of the voters register showed that some people who have long passed away remain listed as eligible voters.
He said this discovery raised serious concerns about the quality of the register currently used for elections.
According to him, INEC is preparing to carry out a nationwide verification exercise to remove names that should not be on the register.
The exercise is meant to ensure that only qualified and living citizens are captured in the electoral database.
He referred to the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election held in November as an example.
INEC observed that although more than 2.9 million voters were registered in the state, only about 600,000 people turned out to vote, representing roughly 20 percent participation.
Following the poor turnout, the commission reviewed the register and found that the names of well-known Nigerian politicians who are already dead were still listed.
Amupitan said this situation weakens trust in the voters register and makes a cleanup necessary, since deceased persons cannot take part in elections.
The INEC chairman also revealed that preparations for the 2027 general elections are ongoing.
He stated that the election timetable has been drawn up but its release is on hold due to proposed changes to the Electoral Act, which could affect the schedule.
