The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says its biometric system has flagged 268 records in Nigeria’s preliminary voters’ register over suspected AI-generated photos or other irregularities. The admission has divided political parties, with some calling for a forensic audit and others saying there is no cause for alarm, about 11 weeks before the first round of the 2027 general elections.
The development, reported on Monday by several outlets including Vanguard and Tori News, is the latest turn in a controversy that began after INEC uploaded the preliminary register online on October 26.
What INEC Has Found
According to reports, INEC’s Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, said the commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) picked out the questionable records before the register was released. He said some of the entries may have been created by misusing a special registration option meant for persons with disabilities.
Vanguard reported Bayode as saying that some registration officers allegedly used their official login details to add irregular entries, and that those responsible have been identified. INEC has not yet announced any sanctions.
The commission says records carrying fully AI-generated images are being removed. Photos that were only enhanced by phone camera software, which is common, will stay in the register, according to Tori News.
Screenshots that first drew public attention came largely from Edo State. FactCheckHub, which rated the claims about the photos as true on October 29, traced some of them to Uzairue Southeast Ward in Etsako West Local Government Area.
Register Is “Not Final”, Says Commission
INEC has insisted that the online version is the same preliminary register displayed at registration areas across the country from October 9 to 15, and that it does not yet reflect ongoing data clean-up. In an earlier statement, the commission’s Information and Voter Education Committee said the photos were being examined ahead of certification of the final register on December 15, 2026.
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan said the commission had received about 4,800 claims and roughly 600 objections during the display period, according to Vanguard. He added that the online display was confirming some complaints the commission had already received.
The register currently holds more than 103.4 million voters, combining over 93 million names carried over from 2023 with new registrations from the continuous voter registration exercise.
Parties Split Over What It Means
Reactions from the parties, gathered by Vanguard, ranged from mild to alarmed. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through its National Publicity Secretary Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said the images were unlikely to affect the outcome and praised INEC for owning up. “It is no longer an allegation because INEC has owned up to it,” he said.
The Labour Party’s spokesman, Ken Asogwa, described the situation as serious and urged INEC to rethink its approach to rebuild public trust.
Mark Adebayo, media adviser to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential campaign, went further, alleging that the entries were synthetic identities. He demanded an independent digital audit, a public stress test of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) within 14 days and publication of all deleted or flagged records.
The Action Democratic Party (ADP) chairman, Yabagi Yusuf Sani, called for an independent investigation and a forensic audit before certification, while a spokesperson for the NDC urged INEC to remove dead persons from the roll. The African Action Congress (AAC) had earlier demanded a criminal probe, Sahara Reporters reported.
Former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has asked that INEC’s findings be made public, while Clement Nwankwo of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre questioned the jump in registered voters from just over 93 million to 103 million.
Why It Matters Ahead of 2027
The voters’ register is the foundation of any election. Inflated or fake entries can, in theory, be used for over-voting, although BVAS accreditation is designed to stop people voting without matching biometrics. INEC says BVAS will use both fingerprint and facial checks in 2027, and that a new platform will handle the upload of results to its IReV portal.
According to Vanguard, INEC has completed nine of its 14 major election milestones. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, with governorship and state assembly polls on February 6.
What Happens Next
INEC is expected to complete its clean-up of the register and certify the final roll on December 15. The commission also plans a mock accreditation exercise sometime in November, which will give parties and observers a chance to test BVAS before the polls. Opposition parties are likely to keep up pressure for an independent audit, and the outcome of INEC’s investigation into the registration officers involved will be watched closely.
Sources: Vanguard, Tori News, FactCheckHub, Sahara Reporters, Nairametrics.
