By James Adamu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has blamed rogue registration officers for the suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other discrepancies that surfaced in its preliminary register of voters.
Lawrence Bayode, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, disclosed the commission’s position on Friday during an interview on Arise Television, where he addressed the growing controversy over the newly unveiled voter register.
According to Bayode, the anomalies were traced to some registration officers who had access to the commission’s portal and allegedly abused their credentials to introduce irregular entries.
He explained that the problematic photographs were not limited to AI-generated images alone, noting that some resulted from very poor registration practices. He added that INEC’s Automated Biometric System had already flagged the anomalies, but the commission was constrained to publish the preliminary register within the statutory 90-day window.
The controversy erupted after INEC uploaded the preliminary voter register on October 26, when social media users spotted suspicious photos with AI-generated characteristics in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State. Nigerians also reported duplicate entries and names of deceased persons appearing in the register.
Bayode maintained that the issues were not confined to a single state, stating that “some” officers across the country were involved in the misconduct.
The commission has yet to announce disciplinary measures against the affected officers, but the revelation raises fresh questions about the integrity of the voter registration process ahead of future elections.
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