The Independent National Electoral Commission has come under intense public scrutiny following revelations that artificial intelligence images slipped into its preliminary voter register. The commission is working to address the concerns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to Punch, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, confirmed to Arise News that certain pictures were created using AI tools. He explained that these issues arose from poor registration methods carried out by personnel who held authorized access to the registration platform.
The electoral body physically displayed the draft voter list from October 9 to October 15 and subsequently placed it online from October 26. Observers quickly noted irregular, overly processed portraits across several entries, which raised concerns across social media platforms.
Public figures have voiced major worries regarding the integrity of the data. The campaign team of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar alleged that the issue could involve over 20 million AI-generated pictures, though no verified forensic report has confirmed this claim.
INEC has stated that the current list is only a draft and remains subject to clean-up before the December 15 deadline for final certification. The commission reported that total voter registrations have climbed to more than 103 million names, rising from 93,469,088 recorded during the 2023 elections.
Officials attributed the jump of around 10 million entries to new registrants who participated in the recent Continuous Voter Registration exercise. Even with the explanation, stakeholders maintain that the commission must tighten its internal procedures before concluding the database.
Beyond the voter list, the commission experienced administrative hurdles after issuing a final candidate register for governorship and legislative contests on October 10. That list was amended on October 29 to handle petitions, leading to the removal and inclusion of several names.
INEC has announced the creation of an AI task team to spot deepfakes, track online risks, and help verify sensitive records. The electoral umpire has assured citizens that technological systems and automated programs will not be permitted to determine election outcomes.
