Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate identification and prosecution of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials implicated in the alleged manipulation of the voters’ register with artificial intelligence-generated photographs.
Atiku also called for an independent forensic audit of the register, warning that the commission’s admission that its registration officers introduced questionable photographs and other irregularities had exposed serious weaknesses in the country’s electoral safeguards.
The former vice-president, through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, accused INEC of failing to demonstrate accountability over the alleged manipulation.
He claimed that more than 20 million AI-generated photographs could be involved and demanded that the commission preserve all voter records, image files, access logs and audit trails for independent examination.
Atiku questioned why INEC had admitted that its registration system was abused by officials without disclosing their identities or explaining the circumstances surrounding the alleged misconduct.
He challenged the commission’s chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to name those involved, disclose the evidence and explain why the officials had not been suspended or prosecuted.
Atiku further warned INEC against quietly removing the questionable entries without preserving evidence of how they entered the database. He insisted that independent technology experts, political parties, civil society organisations and credible international observers must be allowed to examine the records.
He maintained that no disputed entry should be certified until the forensic audit was completed.
The ADC chieftain also renewed calls for INEC to disclose the identities of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He accused the commission of ignoring opposition parties’ concerns over the contractors and the security arrangements surrounding the production and handling of the materials.
Atiku warned that the ADC would approach the courts to compel INEC to release the information if it continued to withhold details.
HOW THE SCANDAL STARTED
The controversy erupted after INEC uploaded its preliminary voters’ register to its website on October 26, triggering public outrage over suspicious photographs, alleged duplicate registrations and names of deceased persons appearing in the database.
Some of the questionable photographs were spotted in records from Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, with social media users raising concerns about the credibility of the register.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, subsequently disclosed on Arise Television that some registration officers across the country had allegedly exploited their official login credentials to introduce irregularities into the database.
Bayode said the commission uncovered the questionable entries through its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which helped identify suspicious records and trace how some of them entered the system.
He, however, clarified that not all the questionable photographs were AI-generated, as some resulted from what he described as poor registration procedures.
INEC had earlier explained that the online register was the same preliminary document physically displayed at Registration Areas nationwide between October 9 and 15, insisting that it was not the final certified register.
The commission said it had commenced a review of the flagged records and promised to complete the verification, adjudication and data-cleaning exercise before certifying the final register on December 15, 2026. INEC +3
Atiku’s demands have further intensified political scrutiny of INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the ADC campaign council warning that public confidence in the polls would depend on the commission’s willingness to expose those responsible and submit its records to independent scrutiny.
The former vice-president also called on opposition leaders and the international community to pressure INEC into disclosing the facts, warning that the commission could not demand public trust while allegedly withholding vital information.
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