The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is facing growing pressure from political parties over its preparedness for the 2027 general elections following the discovery of suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other irregularities in the preliminary voters’ register.
The development has raised concerns about the credibility of the electoral database, the commission’s internal monitoring systems and its ability to conduct elections that will command public confidence.
With the elections approaching, several political parties have called on INEC to address the identified problems, strengthen its technological systems and demonstrate its readiness through concrete actions rather than assurances.
However, while some parties believe the discovery exposes serious weaknesses in the commission’s preparations, others have expressed confidence in its ability to correct the anomalies before the final voters’ register is released.
INEC’s preliminary voters’ register, uploaded on October 26, contains more than 103.4 million registered voters. The figure comprises over 93 million voters recorded in the 2023 register and additional registrations from the continuous voter registration exercise.
The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, disclosed that some registration officers allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce irregular entries, including AI-generated photographs, into the database.
Bayode, however, said the commission had identified those responsible and was taking steps to address the problem before the final register is published on December 15, 2026.
He also explained that INEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) had detected several questionable photographs before the preliminary register was uploaded.
The controversy has attracted reactions from political parties, with the Labour Party (LP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Allied People’s Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) expressing varying positions on the development.
The Labour Party described the discovery as disturbing, arguing that the commission needed to return to the drawing board and take urgent steps to restore public confidence.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, said the matter had become more serious following INEC’s acknowledgement that irregular entries had been introduced into the register.
“This is quite concerning. This is no longer a rumour because even INEC Director of ICT came out to admit it,” he said.
Asogwa expressed concern that the development was happening under the leadership of the current INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and an academic.
He said the proximity of the elections made the situation particularly worrying.
“That this is happening with less than 90 days to a crucial election is worrisome,” he added.
Although he said INEC was in the best position to assess its level of preparedness, the LP spokesman insisted that the commission had a responsibility to reassure Nigerians about the integrity of the electoral process.
“As to their preparedness, the commission is in the best place to say. But we will suggest that they go back to the drawing board and inspire public confidence in the process. Election also has a lot to do with public perception,” he said.
The Peoples Democratic Party, however, expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to resolve the problem, saying the discovery should not be exaggerated because the register currently in circulation is preliminary.
The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, acknowledged that complaints had emerged from different quarters over the inclusion of AI-generated photographs in the register.
He said the commission’s admission of the problem and its promise to correct the irregularities were encouraging.
“We have received complaints from different quarters, particularly about the preliminary voters’ register, where it was alleged that AI-generated images had been included. It is no longer an allegation because INEC has owned up to it,” he said.
“The good thing is that INEC has acknowledged the issue and reassured Nigerians that it is doing everything possible to correct it and prevent a recurrence.”
Mohammed argued that the emergence of AI-generated images in the database did not necessarily mean the entire electoral process had been compromised.
He maintained that the number of questionable entries was unlikely to be significant enough to influence the outcome of the elections.
“The good thing is that this is not the final register, and these issues have been detected very early. We believe INEC will deploy all necessary technologies to clean up the register and prevent it from being infiltrated by questionable and unverifiable entries,” he said.
On the commission’s overall preparations, the PDP spokesman said his party had not identified anything that suggested the 2027 elections were under threat.
He disclosed that INEC had outlined about 14 or 15 activities it intended to complete ahead of the polls and had reportedly achieved about 10 of them.
“For our party, we have not seen anything so far that has the capacity to truncate the 2027 elections. I think INEC’s preparations so far deserve a level of commendation,” he said.
Mohammed also urged opposition parties and public commentators to be careful with their statements, warning that excessive criticism could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
He said Nigerians had become more vigilant in monitoring the voters’ register and INEC’s activities, adding that such scrutiny should encourage the commission to remain transparent.
The Allied People’s Movement (APM), on its part, warned that the use of artificial intelligence in the electoral process must not undermine the objective of conducting credible elections.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, said INEC must exercise caution and ensure that technology was deployed responsibly.
“INEC is expected to be alive to its responsibilities, particularly when it comes to elections at any level,” he said.
“On the issue of artificial intelligence, the need for caution and its responsible deployment is obvious. This is necessary to ensure that the objectives of using the technology are not defeated.”
Yusuf insisted that the 2027 elections must be acceptable, credible and verifiable, warning that anything short of that would raise questions about the commission’s conduct.
“The 2027 polls must be seen to be acceptable, credible and verifiable in every respect. Anything short of that will raise questions about INEC’s conduct of the elections,” he said.
The Social Democratic Party also raised serious concerns about INEC’s preparations, describing the commission’s current level of readiness as compromised by technological vulnerabilities and questions about institutional transparency.
The Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign Council’s Chief Media and Communications Adviser, Comrade Mark Adebayo, said the campaign’s assessment of the voters’ register, biometric infrastructure and logistical arrangements had revealed what he described as systemic weaknesses.
He alleged that some of the questionable entries were synthetic identities created through artificial intelligence and called for an independent digital audit of INEC’s database.
“Our campaign maintains that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) current level of preparation is fundamentally compromised, characterised by severe vulnerabilities in technological integrity and institutional transparency just 80 days before citizens head to the polls,” he said.
Adebayo further alleged that statistical analysis had revealed an unusual increase in registered voters aged between 18 and 22 in certain locations, which he claimed did not correspond with historical census figures and local birth rates.
He questioned the effectiveness of the commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System, arguing that the presence of questionable photographs raised concerns about whether the system was malfunctioning or had been bypassed.
The SDP campaign council also raised concerns about the condition of some Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, alleging that field reports from mock exercises showed battery deterioration and software delays in some rural local government areas.
It called on INEC to allow accredited political party experts and independent international observers to conduct a digital audit of the voters’ register.
The council also demanded a public stress test of BVAS machines across all senatorial districts within 14 days, as well as the publication of a verifiable record of deleted, duplicated and flagged entries before the final register is certified.
“Let us be clear, our campaign wants an election, but we insist on a legitimate election. We are not asking for favours; we are demanding compliance with the law and technological accountability,” Adebayo said.
The Action Democratic Party also called for an independent investigation into the irregularities, insisting that INEC must demonstrate its preparedness through verifiable actions.
The party’s National Chairman, Yabagi Yusuf Sani, said the integrity of an election depended on more than what happened on polling day, stressing that the credibility of the voters’ register, neutrality of electoral officials and transparency of preparations were equally important.
“The credibility of any election begins long before polling day. It starts with the integrity of the voters’ register, the transparency of electoral preparations, the neutrality of electoral officials and the confidence of Nigerians in the entire electoral process,” he said.
Sani described the reported admission by INEC’s ICT director as a serious concern, arguing that it raised questions about the effectiveness of the commission’s internal safeguards.
He called for an immediate, transparent and independent investigation to identify those responsible and ensure that anyone found culpable was appropriately sanctioned.
The ADP chairman also demanded a comprehensive forensic audit of the voters’ register before its final certification.
He said Nigerians deserved clear evidence that the register was credible, electoral technologies were reliable, sensitive materials were secure and arrangements for voting, collation and transmission of results were sufficiently robust.
“With elections barely 80 days away, INEC must demonstrate its preparedness through verifiable actions rather than mere assurances,” he said.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress also raised concerns about the accuracy of the voters’ register, particularly reports that deceased Nigerians remained listed as registered voters.
The National Presidential Campaign Council’s spokesperson, Dr Chiogo Constance Ikokwu, called on the electorate and political parties to take advantage of their rights and file objections with the electoral body so that INEC could effect the removals.
In a statement, Ikokwu said reports that deceased Nigerians, including prominent figures, were still listed on the voters’ register raised serious questions about its accuracy and integrity.
“Reports that deceased Nigerians, including prominent figures such as Raymond Dokpesi, Ifeanyi Ubah, Muhammadu Buhari and Rotimi Akeredolu, still appear on the voters’ register raise serious questions about its accuracy and integrity,” the statement read.
The NDC urged eligible voters and political parties to inspect the preliminary register and submit objections to questionable entries, giving INEC the opportunity to remove names that should no longer be on the list.
Meanwhile, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, has dismissed claims that the commission plans to postpone the 2027 general elections, insisting that the polls will hold as scheduled.
Amupitan gave the assurance on Saturday during an interactive meeting with INEC staff members from the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The meeting also formed part of the commission’s assessment of its readiness for the elections.
The clarification comes amid claims by some political parties that INEC was considering shifting the general elections.
Addressing staff members, including Resident Electoral Commissioners from the six states, the INEC chairman said the commission had already fixed its statutory timetable and had no intention of changing it.
“Our statutory timeline is fixed. We will not change anything. The election must hold as scheduled,” he declared.
Amupitan said INEC remained committed to conducting credible elections in accordance with the law, adding that preparations were already in top gear.
He also disclosed that Rivers State would receive particular attention during the commission’s preparations because of its strategic position in the South-South and its large voting population.
According to figures released by the chairman, Rivers has 3,736,434 registered voters, the highest in the region. Delta follows with 3,525,988, while Edo has 2,865,263.
Akwa Ibom has 2,566,198 registered voters, Cross River has 1,928,978, and Bayelsa has 1,200,691.
The six states have a combined total of 15,823,550 registered voters.
Amupitan said the commission would pay closer attention to Rivers State to ensure that operational shortcomings did not prevent eligible voters from participating in the elections.
“With the 3,736,434 registered voters for Rivers State, the state leads the South-South. By this, the commission will put more attention to what happens in Rivers State. It is your duty to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised because of operational failures,” he said.
The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission had received more than 5,000 claims seeking corrections to the preliminary voters’ register, including requests to amend names and dates of birth.
He said INEC had also received more than 600 objections, which were being addressed as part of efforts to ensure that the final register was credible.
Amupitan announced that the final voters’ register would be released on December 15, 2026, assuring Nigerians that the commission would resolve outstanding complaints before the deadline.
He explained that INEC had initially considered revalidating the voters’ register after he assumed office but abandoned the proposal because the exercise would have been too close to the general elections.
