Nigeria Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) say dem don remove 1.6 million 'invalid records' from di national voters register ahead of di 2027 general elections.
Di electoral body say dem do di clean up afta dem check di 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise again.
Dis clean up dey come afta Inec tok tok pesin Mohammed Kudu Haruna say dem go investigate di alleged AI-generated images of voters ontop dia website.
Na afta Nigerians enta social media to allege say voters register wey Inec release for October get AI-generated images of electorate.
Dem also claim say di list miss some names and odas claim say e double dia names.
Dat time, Inec say dem go investigate di voter register afta dem clarify say di voters register wey dem publish online on 26 October 2026 na di same preliminary register wey dem bin physically display for Registration Areas (RAs) nationwide from 9th to 15th October 2026.
Now, di commission say dem don remove total of 1,609,553 voters records from di register.
Ova 1million invalid registrations, 873 dead
Inec Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, tok say di records wey dem remove include 1,608,660 invalid registrations and 873 records of pipo wey dem don confam say dem don die.
Inec say dem collect 11,088,238 records from di three phases of di CVR exercise, and dia Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) bin first flag 1,545,052 records for further review.
Di chairman explain say record dey flagged no mean say e dey invalid immediately, na officials go still need to review am and decide on each case.
Inec say bifor, dem don alreadi confam say 1,277,052 registrations dey invalid and comot dem.
"Afta complaints, claims and objections from members of di public, anoda 268,000 cases go for review. Out of dose ones, 217,722 bin dey confamed say dem dey invalid and dem comot am, as for di remaining 50,278, dem clear am and keep am for voters register."
E add say dem later find anoda 113,886 invalid registrations wey dem also comot from di register.
'We find di number wey allow AI into di voter register'
On di issue of AI-generated fotos wey pipo find for di voter register, Inec Chairman say di commission trace di access points wey allow am.
"We don find di number wey dem use for AI to enta. You see, e take just one pesin to compromise di password," Amupitan say.
Inec confam say na some officials wey dey authorized bin allow di AI into di system.
E say di problem na becos say dem dey use web cameras, but now dem go begin use app-based camera.
"We don direct di director of ICT now say our IVFs, dis web camera, no go dey allowed again. Instead, we go get app camera. INa wetin dey di app go take di picture," Amupitan say.
Di Inec oga say dis new method no go allow dem import pictures from outside di system say make staff no 'use any URL and begin to import pictures dia and dia'.
For di matta of di AI, Inec say dem no get any hidden agenda, and dem go dey transparent wit dia use of AI.
Inec torchlight 54 staff wey get hand for irregularities.
Inec say dem don also torchlight 54 staff from10 states wey dem accuse say get hand for di irregularities.
Di Commission say investigations show some registration officials bin bypass registration procedures on purpose.
Dem say dat bypass lead to how dem 'uncover duplicate registrations, manipulated photographs and records of dead pipo wey still dey for di register.'
Inec say e go discipline and possibly prosecute dose wey dey involved, "strengthen biometric verification, and continue cleaning both di new and older voters register bifor di 2027 elections."
Inec say dem don identify and review di affected records, while di personnel wey dia hand dey inside don also dey under further investigation.
Di chairman also tok say dis kain tin no go happun again as I'nec go make di registration control to dey stronger wit beta biometric capture, authentication and verification security features.'
Wetin e mean for 2027 election
Howeva one former Inec National Commissioner don torchlight say afta di 2027 elections make dem scrap di whole voter register start am from scratch.
Festus Okoye tell BBC New Pidgin, "in some communities we dey see double and multiple registration, so we must get registration process wey for di site of di registration dem dey use di biometrics to take run di registration from begining so dat multiple registration no go dey, no AI registration go dey and no community registration go dey."
E add say di voters register wey dey Nigeria now no represent di voting patterns of Nigeria.
E say dis mean say di 2027 fit get some mago-mago becos di voters register no dey clean as e suppose be.
"I bin lead di Nigerian Bar Association Working Group Committeee as di chairpesin, I see di amount of pipo wey come outside to come vote. We no register up to 50% of di pipo wey comot. Wetin dat one come mean be say gap dey for di voters register".
As for di pipo wey get hand for di irregularities wey happun for di election, Oga Festus tok say why sometin like dis fit happun na bicos di last time Inec no do anytin wey go clear dia workers say if dem do anyhow, dem go see anyhow.
E advice INEC make dem, "hand ova di 54 staff to di Nigerian police make dem run investigation for di mata and prosection if dem find say dem do sometin wrong."
Oga Okoye also ask for dem to look for who bin engage di staff for dis kain tin wey dme do and investigate dos ones too join.
E say, "di pipo wey dey do dis kain tin wan explot gap wey dey di electoral process. Wetin dey wan na to bypass BVAs for election dey come write result".
