By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has flagged 268 questionable records in its preliminary Register of Voters over suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other irregularities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission disclosed that some registration officers allegedly exploited their official login credentials to introduce irregular records into the voter registration database.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, explaining that the commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) detected the questionable entries.
Bayode said some of the irregularities involved the use of artificial intelligence-generated photographs, while others resulted from poor registration procedures.
He explained that some registration officers allegedly exploited a special registration option designed for persons with disabilities who have incomplete or missing fingers to create questionable voter profiles.
According to him, the commission has commenced the process of reviewing and removing records confirmed to be irregular.
However, Bayode clarified that photographs enhanced using artificial intelligence applications would not automatically lead to the exclusion of affected voters, stressing that only images generated entirely through AI would be removed once confirmed.
The development follows public outrage after INEC uploaded its preliminary Register of Voters to its website on October 26, with screenshots circulating on social media showing suspicious photographs attached to some voter records, particularly in Edo State.
Other concerns raised by Nigerians included alleged duplicate registrations, names of deceased persons appearing in the register and complaints by some registered voters that their details were missing.
INEC had earlier explained that the online register was the same preliminary document physically displayed at Registration Areas nationwide between October 9 and 15.
The commission maintained that the published register was not the final certified version, noting that the exercise was designed to allow citizens to identify inaccuracies and report questionable entries before certification.
Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigeria Data Protection Commission to independently investigate the suspected irregularities.
In a letter dated October 31, SERAP urged the data protection regulator to establish whether Nigerians’ personal information was unlawfully accessed or altered and whether the incidents violated the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The organisation also called for an independent forensic examination of the affected database, identification of those responsible and publication of the investigation’s findings.
INEC is expected to complete its verification, adjudication and data-cleanup processes before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
