By Emmanuella Opara | October 30th 2026
KEY POINTS
- INEC says some registration officers allegedly introduced irregular records, including suspected AI-generated photographs, into the preliminary voter register.
- The commission identified the records through its Automated Biometric Identification System.
- Other irregularities include poorly captured photographs, alleged duplicate entries and complaints of missing voter details.
- INEC says it is reviewing and correcting the records before certifying the final register on December 15, 2026.
- The commission maintains that the online register published on October 26 is preliminary, not the final certified version.
MAIN STORY
The Independent National Electoral Commission has traced the appearance of suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other irregularities in its preliminary register of voters to some registration officers who allegedly introduced questionable records into its database.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Arise Television. He said some registration officers across the country had used their login credentials to introduce irregular entries into the voter registration system.
Bayode explained that the commission detected the questionable records through its Automated Biometric Identification System, which was used to examine the database.
He said the irregularities were not limited to AI-generated photographs, as some records also contained images resulting from poor registration procedures.
The ICT director said INEC had identified the affected records and established how some of the irregularities occurred, although he could not explain the reasons behind the actions of the officers involved.
The disclosure follows public concerns over suspicious photographs and other inconsistencies after INEC uploaded its preliminary register of voters to its website on October 26.
Screenshots circulated on social media had shown photographs suspected to be AI-generated attached to voter records in parts of Edo State. Other complaints included alleged duplicate entries and reports from registered voters who could not find their details on the online register.
INEC said it had begun addressing the problems before publishing the preliminary register, but was working within the statutory 90-day period for completing the exercise.
In a statement issued on October 27, the commission said some questionable records had been identified and flagged during the physical display of the register. It added that a review and corrective process had commenced.
The commission had earlier explained that the online version was the same preliminary register displayed physically at Registration Areas across the country between October 9 and 15 for the Display, Claims and Objections exercise.
INEC also clarified that the published version was not the final certified register and did not reflect all the data-cleanup activities still underway.
The commission is expected to complete its verification, adjudication and data-cleanup processes before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
THE ISSUES
The discovery of suspected AI-generated photographs in the voter register has drawn attention to the integrity of the registration process and the controls governing access to INEC’s database.
Bayode’s explanation points to the role of registration officers with authorised system access in the introduction of questionable records. It also indicates that the problem extends beyond AI-generated images to poor registration practices and other database irregularities.
The concerns raised by the public include the possibility of duplicate registrations and the omission of legitimate voters from the online register. These issues make the verification and correction process important ahead of the final certification.
INEC’s use of its Automated Biometric Identification System to identify irregular records is part of the review process, but the commission has yet to disclose the number of affected entries or the identities of officers allegedly responsible.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“Some of these pictures are AI-generated. Some of them not AI-generated, but very bad registration. And this thing got into the register by the registration officers and because they have access to register people,” Dr Lawrence Bayode, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, said.
“When the ABIS was run on the system, we saw these people. We know what they did. We know how they did it. But honestly, I don’t know why,” Bayode said.
WHAT’S NEXT
INEC is expected to continue its verification, adjudication and data-cleanup exercise before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
The commission will need to address the flagged records and other complaints raised during the display exercise as part of the process leading to final certification.
BOTTOM LINE
INEC has attributed suspected AI-generated photographs and other irregularities in its preliminary voter register to actions by some registration officers and poor registration procedures. The commission’s ongoing review will determine how effectively the questionable records and complaints are addressed before the final register is certified.
