Tag: inec

The electoral commission has taken 1,609,553 invalid entries off the preliminary voter register.

INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan announced this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.

Most of the removals, 1,608,660, were invalid registrations from the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration.

Another 873 were verified deaths.

The removals came after complaints from the public during the ward level display of the register from 9 to 15 October, as well as checks after online publication.

The biometric system flagged 1,545,052 of them for review.

INEC said some registration staff deliberately got around the rules, including misusing provisions meant for persons with disabilities.

In total, 54 people across 10 states have been named as complicit, and they face disciplinary action and possible prosecution.

Amupitan also said the problem goes beyond the latest registration drive.

He said people who moved and re-registered in a new area, instead of transferring their details, may still be listed in their old polling units.

He advised them to check there.

The commission has also postponed the nationwide biometric revalidation exercise until after the 2027 elections, following concerns about timing.

INEC has warned journalists not to share unverified election results, edited content and false information that could damage trust in the 2027 general elections.

It also said it is strengthening its technology, cybersecurity and results systems to protect the process before the polls.

She spoke at the 2026 Media Retreat and Press Week, organised by the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Abia State Council, at Bishop Nwedo Pastoral Centre in Umuahia.

Speaking on the theme “Safeguarding Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age: INEC and the Media Ahead of the 2027 General Elections,” Agu named fake news, deepfakes, cloned voices and edited result sheets as new threats to election credibility.

Being first with a story should not come at the cost of national peace and public trust.

Journalists should resist pressure to publish unconfirmed information just to get an exclusive.

“The race to break the news must not break the nation,” she said.

Agu advised journalists to confirm election information with INEC before airing or publishing it.

INEC Warns Journalists Against SpreadingFake  News Ahead Of 2027 ElectionsINECWarns Journalists Against Spreading FakeNews Ahead Of 2027 Elections also warned against declaring results from unofficial sources and asked journalists not to pass on unverified results.

She urged media outlets to help with voter education by explaining key parts of the Electoral Act 2026.

Agu said the new law adds safeguards.

It requires the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, for accreditation.

It also requires polling unit results to be sent electronically to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, IReV.

The law sets penalties for officials who deliberately block electronic transmission of results.

On technology, INEC is improving BVAS, IReV, the electronic EC8A and its Results Management System, using lessons from past elections.

If a mismatch is found, the upload is blocked until it is fixed.

Agu recalled how BVAS helped expose a manipulation in Abia State during the 2023 general elections.

In one local government area, BVAS recorded 27,000 accredited voters. That figure was allegedly changed by hand to 102,000, which sparked controversy.

Agu said that case shows why technology matters for protecting election integrity.

INEC is also strengthening cybersecurity, protecting election data, monitoring systems more closely and improving disaster recovery plans.

It is also exploring responsible use of artificial intelligence to help with planning, data analysis and daily operations, with human oversight kept in place.

Good training, testing, preparation and teamwork across departments are also needed.

She described the media as a key constitutional partner in elections.

She cited Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires the press to hold government accountable.

She urged journalists to balance their watchdog role with ethics, accuracy and responsible reporting, especially during the election period.

INEC said it will keep working with digital platforms to deal with clearly false election content.

It will also step up voter education through its official channels.

Agu said credible elections in 2027 will depend on INEC, the media and other stakeholders working together with transparency and professionalism.

She assured journalists that INEC remains open to engaging with them.

More than 30 media practitioners took part in the retreat, which aimed to strengthen democracy and improve journalism.

INEC has flagged 268 records in its preliminary voter register that appear to have AI generated photos or other irregularities.

The commission is working to clean them up before the 2027 general elections.

Lawrence Bayode, INEC’s Director of ICT, said in an online interview that the Automated Biometric Identification System picked out the records.

He said some people may have misused the special registration option for persons with disabilities, including those with incomplete or missing fingers, to create fake voter profiles.

He said the records are being removed.

However, voters whose photos were only enhanced by AI on their phones will stay on the register.

Only photos that were fully generated by AI will be taken out.

The issue came to light after INEC published its preliminary register online on October 26.

Screenshots showed strange photos attached to some voter records, especially in Edo State.

People also raised concerns about duplicate entries, names of dead people and voters whose details were missing.

Opposition figures and civil society groups have called for a clear and independent investigation.

NDC vice presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso wants the findings made public.

Pat Utomi and Obidient Movement coordinator Moses Paul also raised concerns about how the photos got into the register.

Clement Nwankwo of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre questioned why the number of registered voters rose from over 90 million to 103 million.

INEC has defended the online version, saying it matches the register displayed in registration areas from October 9 to 15.

INEC is also investigating how the photos got in.

The final register is due to be certified on December 15, 2026.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the final list of 18 presidential candidates and their running mates for Nigeria’s 2027 general election.

Other prominent candidates include Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Sandy Ojang Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

Meanwhile, four women appear on the list of vice-presidential candidates. They are Peace Egobia of the APP, Nafisat Usaku of the Democratic Labour Alliance (DLA), Hajja Bintu Konto of the Labour Party and Patience Ndidi Key of the YPP.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has started a training of trainers for state coordinating supervisors of its Electoral Operations Support Centre, EOSC.

The aim is to make the reporting of election incidents faster and more accurate ahead of the 2027 General Election.

INEC shared this in a post online on Wednesday.

The training is organised by its Electoral Operations Department and is meant to give the supervisors the skills to run EOSC activities and train the staff who will support election operations.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Director, Operations, Jibril Mohammed, represented the Director of Electoral Operations, Isa Magaji.

He said the programme is meant to build teams that can give quick and reliable support across the country.

Mohammed said every report involves a real situation affecting people.

According to him, every call or dashboard entry could involve election staff, materials, processes or voters who need guidance and practical help.

He urged the supervisors to give clear direction and use good judgement when leading their teams.

He also asked participants to pass on what they learn to staff at the state level.

He said the success of the training will be measured by how confidently and effectively the people they train do their jobs during the elections.

He encouraged them to take part fully, ask questions and share experiences, since clearing up doubts now will help avoid problems during the elections.

By the end of the programme, participants are expected to understand their EOSC duties better, along with reporting procedures, checking information, passing incidents up the chain and following up.

A good report, he said, should clearly state what happened, where and when it happened, what action has been taken and the current status of the incident.

He also urged supervisors to treat field officers with calm, respect and kindness, especially those working under pressure.

He said how information is received can affect both the quality of information the Commission gets and the support given to staff in the field.

He asked the facilitators to make the training practical and interactive, using real-life situations that participants could face during the 2027 election.

He thanked the facilitators, organisers, sponsors and partners, and urged participants to justify the trust and resources put into the training.

The training is part of INEC’s plans to strengthen its response and improve how it handles problems during the 2027 elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has dismissed circulating online graphics falsely claiming that it set March 26 as the deadline for government officials to resign if they intend to run for election.

In a statement on Friday posted via the commission official x handle, INEC emphasized that the information did not originate from the Commission and described the graphics as misleading and unverified.

The Commission urged members of the public, media organizations, and political stakeholders to disregard the circulating message entirely.

INEC reiterated that all official announcements are communicated exclusively through its verified channels, including

The official website: inecnigeria.org, Verified social media platforms, and Official press releases.

Citizens are encouraged to confirm election-related information through these channels and avoid sharing unverified content that could cause confusion.

The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to providing accurate, timely, and transparent information to the public.