Former Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded an independent forensic audit of the country’s preliminary voters’ register after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acknowledged that some registration officers introduced artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other irregularities into its database.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is also demanding that INEC identify the officials allegedly responsible, explain how the questionable records passed through its registration system and disclose the companies handling sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 general elections.
His demands follow an admission by INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, who said some registration officers had allegedly abused their access to the commission’s voter registration system to introduce suspicious entries.
Bayode made the disclosure during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, October 30, amid public concerns over photographs suspected to have been generated using AI, duplicate records and other questionable entries in the preliminary voters’ register.
According to reports of the interview, Bayode said the commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) helped identify irregularities in the database and determine how some records entered the system.
He also said the commission was working to remove the identified irregularities before certifying the final register.
“We are working on that, we are cleaning up the register, and we believe that the register that will be released on the 15th of December will have taken care of all these AI-generated or other irregularity pictures that we have also seen on the register,” Bayode said.
However, Atiku argued that removing questionable entries would not be sufficient without establishing how they were introduced and determining who was responsible.
In a statement issued by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, the former vice-president said Nigerians deserved clear information about the scale of the problem, particularly given the size of the national voters’ register.
“With more than 103 million registered voters, Nigerians deserve precise answers: how many records are affected, what percentage of the register do they represent, and where are they concentrated?” Atiku asked.
He maintained that describing the register as preliminary did not remove INEC’s responsibility to explain how questionable records entered its database.
“But describing the register as ‘preliminary’ does not answer how those records entered the system in the first place. Public scrutiny is a safeguard; it cannot substitute for effective verification by the electoral umpire,” he said.
Atiku wants the commission to publish the number and geographical distribution of flagged records and preserve relevant digital evidence, including voter records, image files, system access logs and audit trails.
He is also calling for independent forensic experts, political parties, civil society organisations and credible international observers to be allowed to examine the evidence. He wants the findings and corrective measures made public, while ensuring that voters’ personal information remains protected.
The ADC presidential candidate further argued that any official found to have deliberately compromised the registration process should face appropriate disciplinary and legal consequences. He also stressed that eligible voters must not be wrongly removed from the register during the cleanup exercise.
A separate statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, questioned why officials allegedly responsible for introducing irregularities had not been identified publicly.
“If INEC knows how the register was compromised, it must disclose the evidence, identify every officer involved and explain why they have not been suspended and prosecuted,” Atiku said in the statement.
He also threatened legal action if the commission failed to disclose the requested information and provide accountability over the alleged irregularities.
One particularly serious claim raised by Atiku concerns allegations that more than 20 million AI-generated images may be involved. However, INEC has not independently established or confirmed that figure, and it should not be taken as the verified number of affected voter records. The commission has yet to publish a comprehensive breakdown of the suspicious entries.
INEC, meanwhile, says it is addressing the identified problems through its ongoing verification and data-cleanup exercise. The commission has maintained that the preliminary register is subject to public scrutiny and correction before final certification.
On October 31, INEC disclosed that it had received more than 4,800 claims and approximately 600 objections concerning the preliminary voters’ register. INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan said the commission intended to address the submissions before certifying the final register on December 15, 2026.
The commission’s position is that the preliminary register is not the final certified record and that the public display process is intended to help identify inaccuracies and irregularities before certification.
Related
- INEC Warns AI Disinformation Could Undermine Credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 General Election
- The Invisible AI Threat to Nigeria’s 2027 Elections
- INEC Probes Suspected AI-Generated Photos in Voter Register
- INEC Blames Registration Officers for AI-Generated Photos in Voter Register
The controversy has raised broader questions about the security of Nigeria’s electoral database and the potential misuse of artificial intelligence in identity verification. AI image-generation tools can produce realistic-looking human faces, creating challenges for systems that rely on photographs to support identity records.
However, the presence of suspected AI-generated photographs does not, on its own, establish that fictitious individuals were successfully registered as voters or that election results were manipulated. Determining the extent and implications of the irregularities requires a proper examination of the underlying records and verification procedures.
For INEC, the immediate challenge is to show that it has addressed the identified weaknesses before the 2027 elections. For Atiku and the ADC, the demand is that the process should include independent scrutiny, disclosure and accountability rather than simply removing questionable entries.
With the final voters’ register scheduled for certification on December 15, how the allegations are handled is likely to remain a key issue in discussions of electoral transparency, digital security, and public confidence in Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
AI Writer
Bio: Joseph Michael is an MBA graduate in Marketing from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and a passionate tech enthusiast. As a professional writer and author at AIbase.ng, he simplifies complex AI concepts, explores digital innovation, and creates practical guides for Nigerian learners and businesses. With a background in marketing and brand communication, Joseph brings clarity, insight, and real-world relevance to every article he writes.