The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the removal of 7,746 deceased voters from the national voter register across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of December 2022. This was disclosed on Thursday by INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Etta-Messi.

Efforts to Clean the Voter Register

INEC regularly undertakes thorough cleaning of the voter register before every general election. Despite these efforts, challenges remain, particularly in accurately identifying and removing deceased persons due to inadequate official death records.

“In December 2022, 7,746 deceased persons were removed from the voter register,” Etta-Messi revealed.

INEC also highlighted issues with the voter registration process during its 2023 post-general election review in December 2024. While 12,298,944 new registrants were added to the voter roll during the last registration exercise, concerns about multiple registrations and invalid entries were addressed using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).

This system flagged and eliminated 2,780,756 invalid registrations, representing 22.6% of all new entries nationwide.

Challenges in Maintaining the Voter Register

Difficulty Identifying Deceased Voters

One of the major hurdles for INEC has been the absence of reliable death records. Without accurate and comprehensive data from official sources, the removal of deceased voters remains a persistent challenge.

“Problems with official death records continue to make it very difficult for INEC to remove deceased registrants,” the commission noted.

Declining Voter Turnout

INEC has also expressed concerns over declining voter turnout. The 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections recorded a turnout of 27.5%, a significant drop from the 35.6% recorded in 2019.

Some stakeholders attributed the low turnout to an inflated voter register, which they argued includes ineligible voters and deceased individuals.

Stakeholder Recommendations

During its post-election review, stakeholders proposed several measures to improve the accuracy and reliability of the voter register:

1. Strengthened Collaboration with Agencies
   INEC was urged to enhance its partnership with the National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to identify and remove deceased voters more efficiently.
2. Revalidation of Dormant Voters
   It was suggested that individuals who have not participated in the last three elections be suspended from the voter register and required to revalidate their registration. This measure aims to ensure that only active voters remain on the roll.
3. Enhanced Data Accuracy
   The deployment of advanced technology, such as ABIS, to identify and eliminate multiple or invalid registrations has been successful, but stakeholders recommended further investment in modernizing INEC’s data management systems.

Moving Forward

INEC has pledged to continue refining the voter registration process to improve the accuracy of the register and address challenges affecting voter participation. By implementing the recommendations from stakeholders and strengthening collaboration with relevant agencies, the commission aims to enhance the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.

The next steps include ensuring regular audits of the voter register, promoting public awareness about the importance of updating voter information, and leveraging technology to streamline the entire process.