The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has successfully removed 7,746 deceased individuals from the national voter register, spanning all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as of December 2022.
Victoria Etta-Messi, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, confirmed the update on Thursday, reiterating the commission’s ongoing commitment to ensuring an accurate voter register.
“Seven thousand, seven hundred and forty-six deceased persons across the 36 states and the FCT were removed from the National Register of voters as of December 2022,” Etta-Messi stated.
Despite the progress, INEC noted that challenges remain in eliminating deceased voters, particularly due to the lack of comprehensive official death records.
The commission highlighted the need for improved collaboration with institutions such as the National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to address this issue.
Additionally, INEC tackled issues related to double and multiple registrations, utilizing the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to flag and remove 2,780,756 invalid entries, representing 22.6% of new registrations.
This process aims to enhance the accuracy of the voter register.
The commission also expressed concerns about declining voter turnout, noting that the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections saw a turnout of only 27.5%, down from 35.6% in 2019.
This decrease was partly attributed to an inflated voter register, prompting discussions on measures such as suspending inactive voters and requiring revalidation for those who haven’t participated in the last three elections.
INEC reaffirmed its dedication to addressing these challenges to strengthen the integrity of future elections and improve the voter registration process.
