The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says its field registration officers holding official system access credentials are behind the controversial appearance of artificial intelligence-generated photographs and data discrepancies in the preliminary national voters’ register.
Following an intense public outcry after the preliminary roll was published online for public scrutiny, the electoral body confirmed that internal system audits successfully tracked how the irregular data entries bypassed database checks.
Speaking on Arise TV interview program, Lawrence Bayode, INEC’s director of ICT, explained that while the system’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) flagged the anomalies, investigators remain baffled as to why field officers deliberately compromised data integrity.
“We have registration officers on the field, and these registration officers have login details to log into the system,” Mr. Bayode explained. “So what we have found is that some of these registration officers—not all of them, some across the states nationwide—have done different things to bring these irregularities onto the register.”
“Some of these pictures are AI-generated, while others are products of very bad registration. This got into the register because they have access to register people,” the official added. “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.”
However, Bayode did not mention the extent of the breach as it affects the integrity of the voters’ register or the total number of entries with the anomaly.
Early October, INEC said voter registration after its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) had risen to 103.4 million, a claim that has been fiercely contested by analysts.
Public outcry and commission defense
The emergence of bizarre, AI-distorted profile pictures on the preliminary register sparked widespread concern among civil society organizations and voters ahead of upcoming electoral milestones. Critics questioned the security controls surrounding data capture portals managed by temporary and permanent field personnel.
In response, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, emphasized that the published document was strictly a preliminary register intended for public claims, objections, and data scrubbing.
Haruna welcomed the vigilance of citizens and assured the public that the commission was actively investigating procedural and technical loopholes.
“The Commission is also examining the circumstances surrounding the suspicious photographs, including possible technical or procedural lapses, and will take appropriate action based on verified findings,” Haruna stated.
“The Commission appreciates the vigilance of citizens and stakeholders who have brought these concerns to public attention. Such scrutiny contributes to the process of improving the accuracy and integrity of the register.”
Race against time before December certification
INEC officials noted that internal data-cleanup protocols were already underway before the preliminary list went live. The commission is working under tight statutory constraints to review flagged records, adjudicate discrepancies, and purge unauthorized entries.
Mr Bayode admitted that the commission is under pressure to complete the exercise within the statutory 90-day period before the final, certified Register of Voters is officially published on December 15, 2026.
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