- Amupitan said the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration exercise would be followed by a claims
- He recounted a review in Anambra State where a well-known figure who died over a decade ago was still on the register
- He added that Phase Two of the CVR would begin on January 5, 2026, with registration centres moved closer to communities
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), has stressed that Nigeria must urgently sanitise its national voter register ahead of the 2027 elections.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the INEC boss revealed that the register has not undergone a full cleanup since 2011, leaving the names of many deceased individuals still listed.
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Speaking at the National Stakeholders Forum on Elections organised by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in Abuja, Amupitan said the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration exercise would be followed by a claims and objections window opening on December 15.
He urged civil society groups to mobilise citizens to participate.
He recounted a review in Anambra State where a well-known figure who died over a decade ago was still on the register, warning that such anomalies threaten credibility.
Providing updates on the CVR, Amupitan disclosed that 2,685,725 applicants completed their registrations in the first phase — 1,576,137 online and 1,109,588 through physical capture. Osun, Kaduna, Plateau, Imo, Borno and Lagos recorded the highest turnout.
He also highlighted ongoing challenges with vote-buying, saying INEC relies on security agencies for arrests while the commission focuses on prosecution.
Amupitan noted that BVAS and the IReV portal have strengthened transparency but frequently suffer upload delays due to poor network coverage.
He emphasised that INEC does not control telecom infrastructure and continues to work with network operators to improve election-day connectivity.
He added that Phase Two of the CVR would begin on January 5, 2026, with registration centres moved closer to communities to boost access.
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