The credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voters’ register has come under intense scrutiny ahead of the 2027 general elections, following revelations by INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan that names of deceased persons remain on the register.
Amupitan disclosed that names of voters who died as far back as 15 years ago are still listed, a situation critics say could undermine the integrity of the 2027 polls and lead to significant financial waste through the printing of excess ballot papers and other election logistics.
The INEC chairman made the revelation while receiving the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team during a courtesy visit in Abuja on Wednesday.
Amupitan announced that INEC has entered into a partnership with NIMC to deliver a credible voters’ register and transparent elections. He said INEC would leverage NIMC’s robust data architecture to progressively clean up the register.
“A credible, well-quantified voter register would significantly reduce the overall cost of conducting elections,” he explained, noting that INEC currently prints election materials in excess of the over 100 million entries on its register to accommodate discrepancies.
He highlighted that the newly signed NIMC Act 2026 provides a 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, deeper integration between the two agencies would enable continuous auditing, verification, and removal of duplicate or underage entries.
Amupitan added that INEC’s newly introduced online voter registration platform is anchored on the National Identification Number (NIN) as a verification protocol, aimed at ensuring a more seamless Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process.
The chairman was also candid about identity-related risks, warning that a flawed register makes voter identity vulnerable to theft, impersonation, and duplication.
Coker-Odusote assured that identity remains the foundation of effective governance and credible election planning, pledging NIMC’s full support to INEC for the 2027 general elections.
The revelation has confirmed long-held fears among many Nigerians.
**Dr Samuel Adegboye**, a university lecturer, told newsmen that the presence of dead persons’ names on the register facilitates election manipulation. He suggested that in some cases, it may be deliberate, with corrupt INEC officials allegedly colluding with dubious politicians.
“With the names of dead persons in the voter register, it becomes very easy for politicians to inflate figures,” Adegboye said. “However, the INEC chairman did not tell us the number of dead persons in the register. The numbers could be in the hundreds of thousands considering the number of unnatural deaths... over the past 10 years.”
He commended the chairman for his honesty but urged concrete action: “Let it not just end in rhetoric... Such dead persons’ names should be weeded out of the register. That way, rigging will be maximally reduced.”
Adegboye also called for the removal of ghost voters, drawing parallels with ghost workers in the civil service and even a reported “ghost agency.”
**Johnson Adewale**, a retired civil servant, told newsmen that cleaning the register would save substantial funds and curtail rigging.
“As the INEC chairman has pointed out, removing dead names... will help prevent printing ballot papers that will end up in waste-bins,” he said. “It will also save funds and reduce stress on the part of INEC officials.”
**Kolade Adegboyega**, a former local government councillor in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, stressed that Nigerians are tired of rhetoric and want action.
“The INEC chairman should do everything possible to remove all bottlenecks that could taint the outcome of the 2027 elections,” he submitted, describing the collaboration with NIMC as a welcome development.
**Jason Osazuwa**, a lawyer and public affairs commentator, decried the situation as shameful, attributing it to systemic failures in data management.
“I only want the INEC boss to live up to his words. Let him partner with NIMC to clean the register. We want to have fair, credible elections in 2027 and beyond,” Osazuwa said.
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