INEC Blames Registration Officers for Introducing AI-Generated Photos, Irregularities Into Voter Register

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has blamed some of its registration officers for introducing suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other irregularities into the commission’s preliminary register of voters.

INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Arise Television, explaining that some registration officers allegedly used their authorised login details to insert questionable records into the commission’s database.

Bayode said the irregularities were uncovered through the commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which was deployed to examine voter registration records and identify suspicious entries.

According to him, some of the photographs found in the database were generated using artificial intelligence, while others resulted from poor registration procedures carried out by field officers.

He explained that registration officers had access to the system to enrol eligible voters, but some allegedly abused that access by introducing irregular records across different states.

Bayode said the commission had identified the questionable entries and established how some of the irregularities occurred, although he admitted that INEC could not establish the reasons behind the actions of the officers involved.

The ICT director added that INEC had commenced efforts to clean up the voter register before releasing its preliminary version, stressing that the exercise was being conducted within the statutory 90-day period.

The disclosure comes amid public concerns over suspicious photographs and other anomalies in the preliminary voter register uploaded to INEC’s website on October 26.

Screenshots circulated on social media had shown images suspected to be AI-generated attached to voter records in parts of Edo State. Other complaints involved alleged duplicate registrations and reports from some voters who claimed their details were missing from the online register.

The controversy has also attracted reactions from political figures and stakeholders, with renewed calls for INEC to investigate the reported irregularities and ensure the credibility of the voter register ahead of the 2027 general elections.