The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified 268 records in its preliminary Register of Voters for suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other irregularities.
The commission has begun cleaning up the database ahead of the 2027 general elections.Lawrence Bayode, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, revealed the details on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
He said the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) flagged the questionable records for further review.“What we are currently doing now is looking at all these 268 records that ABIS already flagged as AI-generated or even something of irregularities,” Bayode stated.
He explained that some individuals allegedly abused a special registration option meant for persons with disabilities who have incomplete or missing fingers. This provision was among the loopholes exploited to create dubious voter profiles.The commission has already started removing the affected entries. “Those that we have seen, we are cleaning up,” Bayode said.
Bayode drew a clear distinction between fully AI-generated images and genuine photographs simply enhanced by phone AI tools. Enhanced real photos will not lead to exclusion, he clarified.
“Those that we know it is the AI on the phone that helped enhance their pictures, we can’t exclude such people because it was the AI on the phone that does that. Such people will still be on the register but those AI-generated, those photographs, all these will be removed. We are already looking at them.”
The issue came to light after INEC published the preliminary register online on October 26. Screenshots shared on social media, especially from parts of Edo State, showed suspicious photos and sparked public outrage. Concerns also included alleged duplicate registrations, names of deceased persons, and complaints from some voters that their details were missing.Political figures and civil society leaders have called for transparency.
Rabiu Kwankwaso, Nigeria Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, demanded a thorough, independent investigation with public findings and accountability for anyone found culpable.
Political economist Pat Utomi warned that AI-generated images in the register raise serious questions about verification and accountability. Dr Moses Paul of the Obidient Movement and Clement Nwankwo of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre also pressed INEC for clearer explanations and greater transparency.
INEC has maintained that the online version is the same preliminary register previously displayed physically and is not the final certified document. The Display, Claims and Objections process allows the public to report issues. The commission aims to complete verification and cleanup before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
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