INEC Chairman Raises Concern Over Unclean Voters’ Register
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has raised serious concerns over the integrity of Nigeria’s voter register, revealing that it has not undergone a comprehensive clean-up since 2011.
Speaking during a review session in Anambra State, Amupitan disclosed that despite having 2.8 million registered voters, turnout in recent elections indicated barely 20 per cent participation, raising questions about the accuracy and credibility of the register.
He said the commission’s findings showed that many deceased individuals were still listed as active voters.
“I do not want to mention specific names, but in Anambra, a prominent leader—known to have died many years ago—was still listed in the register,”Amupitan said.
“When someone who passed away 15 years ago, known both locally and internationally, remains on the voter register, it raises concerns about credibility. Statutorily, the claims and objections window is designed to address this.”
The INEC boss further announced that Phase Two of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) will commence on January 5, 2026, with registration centres moved closer to wards and communities to address the distance and access challenges that affected Phase One.
Vote Buying and Prosecution Challenges
Addressing the issue of vote buying, Amupitan revealed that the commission had written to security agencies for updates on individuals arrested for financial inducement during recent polls.
“We have written to the police, the EFCC and others to provide investigation reports on those arrested. INEC can only prosecute; we do not have powers to arrest,”
he explained.
He added that the commission continues to depend on both covert and overt security operations to curb inducement at polling units.
Amupitan noted that while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) have significantly improved election transparency, their efficiency is often hindered by poor network connectivity.
“A tool like BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on. Achieving real-time upload of results to IReV is still one of our toughest operational battles,” he said.
Recalling the mock accreditation exercise held ahead of the Anambra governorship election, he stated that several polling units recorded delays due to unstable network signals. Some BVAS devices uploaded data instantly, he said, while others failed because presiding officers worked in areas with weak connectivity.
The chairman disclosed that INEC is in continued talks with the Nigerian Communications Commission and mobile network operators on improving network reliability during elections. The commission is also exploring alternative technologies and backup systems, though its control remains limited.
“Someone once asked what happens if a powerful politician convinces a service provider to switch off its service on election day. The truth is that we do not have control over these networks. These are structural issues we must all confront,” he warned.
Amupitan expressed hope that INEC would eventually operate its own dedicated service infrastructure, but admitted that such capacity does not currently exist.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise enables eligible Nigerians who have turned 18 or those who were previously unregistered to enrol as voters. It also allows registered voters who have changed their residence to transfer their records to new locations.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
