The discovery of suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and questionable identities in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) preliminary register of voters has opened a troubling new chapter in Nigeria’s electoral integrity debate, raising questions about the security of the country’s electoral database ahead of the 2027 general election.

With 103,428,715 registered voters on its database, INEC is facing an increasingly complicated challenge of protecting the credibility of the register.

The register has historically attracted allegations of inflated figures, duplicate registrations, underage voters, deceased persons and other questionable entries, while the commission now confronts the emerging threat of technology-enabled manipulation.

The controversy is particularly significant because the latest irregularities appear to have originated from within the electoral institution itself.

Lawrence Bayode, INEC’s director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), has disclosed that some registration officers exploited their official login credentials to introduce questionable records, including AI-generated photographs, into the commission’s database.

Bayode said the irregularities were detected through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which the commission uses to identify duplicate and suspicious registration records.

The commission subsequently disclosed that 268 records had been flagged for further examination.

Although INEC has commenced efforts to remove questionable entries, the development has raised fundamental questions about internal controls, staff accountability and the possibility of deliberate compromise of the electoral database by individuals entrusted with protecting it.

Observers warn that the threat goes beyond AI-generated photographs to creating fake identities, manipulating biometric records and introducing fictitious voters into a register that will shape political power in 2027.

From ghost voters to artificial identities

For years, Nigeria’s electoral register has attracted controversy over the presence of deceased persons, duplicate registrations, underage voters and other ineligible entries.

Although the presence of such names does not automatically translate into votes being cast, an inaccurate register creates opportunities for impersonation, electoral manipulation and disputes over the credibility of election results.

The European Union Election Observation Mission, in its report on the 2023 general election, identified deceased and emigrated voters, internally displaced registration records and suspected underage registrations as persistent weaknesses in the country’s voter register.

It recommended an independent audit to establish the accuracy and reliability of the database.

INEC’s own 2023 election report showed that its biometric cleaning exercise removed 2,780,756 duplicate or multiple registration records before the election.

This demonstrated both the scale of the challenge and the importance of sustained technological verification.

However, the emergence of AI-generated photographs introduces a different dimension.

Unlike conventional multiple registration, which involves one individual registering more than once, artificial intelligence can potentially be exploited to manufacture convincing but fictitious facial identities.

If such identities are successfully inserted into the database and escape verification, analysts say they could become instruments for impersonation or other forms of electoral fraud.

The danger is particularly pronounced if compromised officials can exploit administrative access to bypass existing safeguards.

The unresolved allegations from previous elections

The controversy also brings back allegations surrounding the manipulation of voter registration records during previous elections.

During the 2024 Imo State governorship election, Ugo Ezechinyere, a member of the House of Representatives, raised allegations that the voters’ register had been manipulated, with one individual allegedly appearing as many as six or seven times under different names and slightly altered facial images. The allegations died down without any probe or conclusive findings.

Ugochinyere particularly claimed that the voter register in Omuma Ward (Oru East LGA)—the home ward of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma—was inflated with fictitious data. He alleged that the number of registrants was fraudulently increased from approximately 6,000 to 46,000

The discovery of suspected AI-generated photographs has renewed concerns that failure to investigate and address voter register irregularities could fuel electoral manipulation allegations and undermine confidence in the 2027 polls.

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The implications for the 2027 election

Analysts and opposition figures have argued that
questionable voter records could undermine the credibility of election results.

BusinessDay reports that Nigeria’s elections are already characterised by intense competition, particularly in states where winning margins are narrow.

Pundits have argued that inflated or manipulated register could provide ammunition for allegations that election outcomes were predetermined or manipulated.

Also, the controversy could deepen political suspicion and mistrust among parties.

With the 2027 presidential contest expected to involve intense competition between the ruling APC and opposition parties, questions surrounding the voter register could become a major political battleground.

Opposition figures, analysts demand answers from INEC

Opposition leaders and prominent political figures as well as lawyers and analysts have raised concerns over the integrity of the INEC voters’ register following the discovery ahead of 2027.

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, former Bayelsa State governor, and Pat Utomi, political economist, have demanded a transparent investigation, warning that questionable entries in a database containing 103,428,715 registered voters could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

Atiku described the development as a serious failure of INEC’s safeguards, insisting that the commission must identify officials responsible for the irregularities and explain how the images entered its database. He warned that the credibility of the 2027 elections was at stake.

Kwankwaso also called for an independent investigation, insisting that Nigerians deserved more than assurances from the electoral body. “Our democracy cannot afford any compromise in the integrity of the voter register,” he said.

Similarly, Dickson questioned the authenticity of the records, warning that unreliable information could compromise subsequent electoral processes. Utomi also cautioned that “our democracy is at stake” unless INEC addressed the concerns transparently.

Also, Moses Paul, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, has demanded accountability, questioning who verified the records and who should be held responsible.

Clement Nwankwo, Director of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), has warned that the voters’ register lacked credibility, arguing that the discovery of AI-generated information and photographs raised questions about the commission’s verification procedures.

“Technology has of course come forward, and now what we see is what is now referred to as AI-generated information and photographs that have been inserted into the voter register,” he said.

Frank Tietie, lawyer and public affairs analyst, described INEC’s explanation as a major concern, questioning how compromised registration officers could introduce questionable identities into the database.

“The only explanation INEC can give is that its compromised officers were responsible for generating those pictures and that information. That is a big problem,” he said.

Morris Monye, businessman and public affairs commentator, however, urged the media and opposition parties to intensify pressure on INEC, insisting that the commission must explain the suspicious photographs to Nigerians.

On his part, Fidelis Onenojieide, a public commentator, questioned the commission’s preparedness and called for accountability over the discovery.

Timi Frank, former APC deputy national publicity secretary, and ADC chieftain, equally called for forensic investigations, disclosure of findings and prosecution of officials found culpable.