The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the removal of 7,746 deceased voters from the National Register across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of December 2022.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Etta-Messi, disclosed this on Thursday, highlighting the commission’s efforts to clean up the voter register before the 2023 general elections.
“Seven thousand, seven hundred and forty-six deceased persons across the 36 states and the FCT were removed from the National Register of voters as of December 2022,” Etta-Messi stated.
In its post-2023 general election review conducted in December 2024, INEC identified persistent challenges in maintaining an accurate voter register despite advancements in the registration process. Among the improvements was the addition of 12,298,944 new registrants, though the commission noted difficulties in removing deceased persons due to gaps in official death records.
INEC revealed that it deployed the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to address cases of double or multiple registrations. The system flagged and removed 2,780,756 invalid registrations, accounting for 22.6 percent of all new registrants nationwide.
The commission also raised concerns about declining voter turnout, noting that participation in the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections fell to 27.5 percent, compared to 35.6 percent in 2019. Stakeholders have partly attributed this to an inflated voter register and have called for intensified efforts to clean it.
During the review, stakeholders recommended enhanced collaboration between INEC and agencies like the National Population Commission (NPC) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to identify and remove deceased voters.
There were also suggestions to suspend voters who have not participated in the last three elections and require them to revalidate their registration.
“These measures could help improve the credibility of the voter register and enhance public confidence in the electoral process,” INEC stated.
The commission emphasized its commitment to strengthening the voter register and addressing challenges to ensure credible and transparent elections in the future.