By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) immediately identify and prosecute the registration officers responsible for introducing artificial intelligence-generated images and other irregularities into Nigeria’s voter register, describing the breach as a catastrophic failure of leadership and safeguards.
In a statement issued Friday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku warned that INEC’s admission strikes at the heart of the Commission’s credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The controversy erupted after INEC uploaded its preliminary voter register to its website on October 26, prompting citizens to flag suspected AI-generated photographs, duplicate entries, and names of deceased persons. The flagged entries included records from Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
Speaking on Arise Television on Friday, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr. Lawrence Bayode, disclosed that some registration officers across the country had used their official login credentials to introduce questionable records into the database. Bayode said the Commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) helped uncover the irregularities, but he could not explain the officers’ motives.
“We know what they did. We know how they did it. But honestly, I don’t know why,” Bayode said.
Atiku faulted the explanation, stating that Professor Joash Amupitan through Boyode Lawrence says INEC knows what its officers did and how they tampered with the register, yet claims it does not know why, describing it as a disgraceful evasion rather than an answer.
The former Vice President questioned how Nigeria’s voter database could be less secure than personal social media accounts, noting that even ordinary WhatsApp, Facebook and email accounts appear to have stronger security safeguards than those INEC’s ICT director described on national television.
Atiku demanded that INEC disclose the evidence, identify every officer involved, and explain why they have not been suspended and prosecuted.
Citing allegations that more than 20 million AI-generated images may be involved, Atiku called for an independent forensic audit of the voter register. He urged INEC to preserve all voter records, image files, access logs, and audit trails for examination by independent experts, political parties, civil society, and credible international observers.
Atiku warned that INEC must not quietly clean up the register and bury the evidence, insisting that no disputed record should be certified until the audit is complete.
Atiku also accused INEC of ignoring opposition parties’ demands to disclose the companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials. He insisted that if the APC-led government knows who is handling these materials and what protocols apply, opposition parties must receive the same information, and demanded that the contractors’ identities be published alongside an explanation of the safeguards governing their work.
The ADC presidential candidate threatened court action if INEC refuses to comply, vowing that every official found to have tampered with the register must be prosecuted.
Atiku called on opposition leaders and the international community to demand an independent audit, full disclosure, and accountability, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of enabling the crisis by allowing INEC to evade scrutiny.
He said INEC has no right to demand trust while concealing evidence and shielding those responsible, and urged the Commission to name the culprits, expose the contractors and submit the register and election materials to independent scrutiny, adding that until then its assurances are worthless and the credibility of the 2027 election is on the line.
INEC has maintained that the published register is preliminary and not the final certified version, with final certification scheduled for December 15, 2026.
Discussion about this post