The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has acknowledged that Nigeria’s voter register, which contains over 93 million registered voters, still includes the names of deceased persons and other ineligible entries.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the register has not undergone a comprehensive clean-up since it was first compiled in 2011, despite continuous voter registration exercises conducted over the years.

According to him, the presence of deceased persons on the register affects the accuracy of voter turnout statistics and the overall integrity of the electoral database. He noted that many Nigerians fail to participate in the claims and objections process, which is designed to help identify and remove such names from the register.

Amupitan explained that before the adoption of digital voter registration, some entries were added without adequate verification, leaving the commission with the challenge of cleaning up outdated records.

The INEC chairman called for greater public participation in voter register verification exercises and urged citizens to report the names of deceased persons and other ineligible registrants during future review processes.

He also maintained that the commission remains committed to improving the credibility of the voter register as preparations continue for future elections.