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…ICT director reveals registration officials introduced AI-generated images and other irregularities nationwide
…The former vice president calls for an independent forensic investigation and insists the guilty must be named
…Threatens legal action over the secrecy surrounding companies handling sensitive election materials
Daud Olatunji
The Independent National Electoral Commission has admitted that some of its registration officers across the country introduced irregularities, including artificial intelligence-generated photographs, into Nigeria’s national electoral register, triggering new calls for accountability and an independent forensic audit ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The admission prompted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to call for the immediate identification and prosecution of officials responsible for the alleged manipulation, warning that the controversy could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC Director of Information and Communications Technology, Lawrence Bayode, revealed the involvement of the recorders during an interview with ARISE Television on Friday.
Bayode explained that some registration officers had exploited their authorized login credentials to introduce questionable photographs and other irregularities into the voter registration database.
According to him, the problem is not limited to AI-generated photographs, as investigators also discovered duplicate entries and images that did not meet acceptable recording standards.
“I can tell you how the AI-generated photos ended up in the registry. Number one, you know, we have registrars in the field and these registrars have the login details to access the system.
“So what we found is that some of these registry officials — not all of them now, some of them in all the states nationwide — have done different things to report these irregularities in the registry,” Bayode said.
The ICT director revealed that the commission had begun efforts to clean the database, adding that its review had uncovered several categories of irregularities.
“So, we’re cleaning up; we see a lot of things, different people doing different things, some similar. Some of these images are AI-generated, some are not AI-generated, but the recording is terrible.
“This thing got into the register because of the registration officers and because they have access to register people,” he added.
The development followed public concerns over AI-generated photographs and multiple registration entries discovered in INEC’s preliminary electoral register released online in early October.
The controversy has raised questions about the commission’s verification procedures, internal security controls and the integrity of the database that is expected to guide the 2027 election.
Reacting to the admission, Atiku described the incident as a grave breach of public trust, claiming that the commission charged with protecting Nigerians’ votes had acknowledged that its staff had abused the system entrusted to them.
In a statement released on Friday by Phrank Shaibu, Strategic Communications Director of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, the former Vice President accused INEC of failing to provide satisfactory explanations for the alleged manipulation.
“INEC has admitted that some AI-generated images are on the voter register and that registration officers have introduced irregularities across the country.
“The commission charged with protecting the votes of Nigerians has recognized that its own system has been abused by those charged with running it. This is a catastrophic failure of leadership and safeguards,” Atiku said.
He particularly criticized INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan for the commission’s explanation of how the irregularities occurred and for its apparent failure to establish why the officials involved had allegedly manipulated the database.
Atiku questioned why the commission could acknowledge that its registration officials had tampered with the registry but had yet to publicly identify those responsible or explain the actions taken against them.
It called on INEC to disclose the results of its investigation, to name the implicated officials and to explain why they had not been suspended or prosecuted.
“If INEC knows how the registry was compromised, it must disclose the evidence, identify all officers involved and explain why they were not suspended and prosecuted.
“Amupitan cannot admit misconduct, hide the identity of the perpetrators and expect Nigerians to accept ignorance as an excuse. He must now account for this failure,” he said.
The former vice president also expressed concern over reports that more than 20 million AI-generated images may be involved in the controversy, insisting that the commission must not simply remove questionable entries without preserving evidence of how the irregularities occurred.
He called for an independent forensic audit of the entire voter register, urging INEC to preserve all voter registers, image files, system access logs and audit trails for examination by independent experts.
Atiku also called for accredited forensic specialists, political parties, civil society organizations and credible international observers to examine the database.
He argued that no disputed documents should be certified until an independent examination had established the extent of the alleged manipulation and the reliability of the register.
Aside from the voter database controversy, Atiku accused INEC of failing to respond to opposition parties’ requests for disclosure of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials.
He argued that political parties should have access to information about companies handling critical election materials and the security arrangements governing their operations.
“If the APC government knows who handles these materials and what protocols apply, opposition parties must be given the same information. Publish the identities of contractors and explain the safeguards governing their work,” he said.
Atiku has threatened to go to the courts to force the commission to disclose the information, insisting that officials found responsible for manipulating the register must be prosecuted.
He also called on opposition leaders and the international community to demand an independent audit, full transparency and accountability from the electorate.
The former Vice President accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of allowing INEC to evade scrutiny, warning that the controversy could impact confidence in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.
“INEC has no right to demand confidence by hiding evidence and protecting those responsible. Name the guilty, expose the contractors and subject the register and election materials to independent scrutiny.
“Until then, his assurances are useless. The credibility of the 2027 elections is at stake,” Atiku added.
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