The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has blamed irregularities introduced by some of its registration officers for the appearance of suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs in the commission’s preliminary register of voters.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Arise Television, saying some registration officers allegedly used their login credentials to introduce questionable records into the voter database.
Bayode explained that the commission uncovered the irregularities through its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which was deployed to examine the registration records and identify suspicious entries.
According to him, some of the photographs were generated using artificial intelligence, while others resulted from poor registration procedures.
He said the officers responsible had access to the registration system, which enabled them to introduce the questionable records.
“Some of these registration officers, not all of them now, some of them across the states nationwide, they’ve done different things to bring these irregularities onto the register,” Bayode said.
He added that INEC had identified the affected records and established how some of the irregularities occurred, although the commission was yet to establish why the officers involved engaged in the practice.
The disclosure comes amid growing concerns over the integrity of the preliminary voter register uploaded to INEC’s website on October 26.
Discrepancies in Preliminary Voter Register
Public attention was drawn to the register after screenshots circulated on social media showing photographs suspected to have been generated using AI attached to voter records in parts of Edo State.
Other complaints included alleged duplicate voter entries and reports from some registered voters that their details were missing from the online database.
INEC had earlier explained that the online register was the same preliminary version physically displayed at Registration Areas across the country between October 9 and 15 as part of its Display, Claims and Objections exercise.
In a statement issued on October 27, the commission acknowledged that questionable records had been identified and flagged during the physical display exercise, adding that it had commenced a review and corrective process.
The commission also clarified that the published register was not its final certified version, stressing that the online release did not capture all the data-cleanup activities still underway.
Bayode said INEC had been working to address the irregularities even before publishing the preliminary register, noting that the commission was operating within the statutory 90-day period for completing the exercise.
INEC is expected to conclude its verification, adjudication and data-cleanup processes before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
The integrity of the voter register is particularly significant ahead of the 2027 general elections, as it determines the list of eligible voters and remains a critical component of the country’s electoral process.
