The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is investigating suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other irregularities in the preliminary Register of Voters for the 2027 general elections, while the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given President Bola Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to order an independent probe of the same allegations. What SERAP is demanding SERAP has issued a seven-day ultimatum to President Tinubu, urging him to direct the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and relevant agencies to investigate the alleged use of AI-generated photographs and the manipulation of personal data in the preliminary register published by INEC. Vanguard, Tribune and Leadership all reported the demand, which frames the issue as a data-protection and electoral-integrity matter rather than a routine administrative error. What INEC has said INEC has confirmed it is investigating. The Commission says the suspected AI-generated photographs and duplicate records are being examined as part of a broader review of the preliminary register, which went live for public scrutiny ahead of the December 15, 2026 final register. Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan has previously told an ECOWAS delegation that the Commission has no preferred candidate or party, and the register now holds more than 103 million registrants. How the photos reportedly got in Punch reports that INEC's director of information and communication technology explained that the irregularities were allegedly introduced by some registration officers who had access to the registration system. Fact-checking outlet FactCheckHub, which first drew attention to the images, found records at polling units including Iyoku-Utukwe Afashio Booth and Ikabigbo Primary School carrying facial photographs that appeared artificial and showed visual irregularities typical of AI-generated faces. Leadership reported that the investigation also covers duplicate voter records alongside the photographs, an indication that the review extends beyond images to the broader quality of the data captured during the continuous voter registration exercise. Why the register matters for 2027 The preliminary register is the foundation on which the entire 2027 election stands: polling unit allocations, card reader assignments and results collation all hang off it. If AI-generated or inaccurate photographs sit inside the register, they raise the possibility of cloned voter records, which are the classic raw material for multiple voting. A register that voters distrust before a single ballot is cast is a problem no amount of polling-day technology can fix. The December 15 final register deadline gives INEC a fixed window to clean the data, and the SERAP ultimatum puts pressure on the federal government to treat the issue as more than an INEC housekeeping matter. Civil society groups had already asked INEC to probe discrepancies in Edo and Rivers registers over the weekend, so the AI-photo findings land on an already contested subject. The technology angle Nigerians should note This is one of the first times AI-generated imagery has surfaced at scale inside a Nigerian electoral document, and it will not be the last. Cheap generation tools make it easy to fabricate plausible faces, and any registration process that relies on photos without live capture verification is exposed. The lesson for INEC is structural: biometric capture at the point of registration, not uploaded images, is the control that defeats this. What happens next Watch for INEC's findings once its internal review concludes, any action against registration officers found to have introduced the images, and whether the President or the Nigeria Data Protection Commission responds to SERAP's ultimatum within its seven-day window. The Commission's credibility between now and December 15 rests largely on how visibly it handles this one. Sources: This report was verified against Punch, Vanguard, Tribune, Leadership, Chronicle and FactCheckHub. Frequently asked questions Are there AI-generated photos in Nigeria's voter register? INEC is investigating suspected AI-generated photographs and duplicate records in the preliminary register for the 2027 elections, and a fact-checking outlet documented examples at specific polling units. What does SERAP want? A seven-day ultimatum asking President Tinubu to order an independent investigation into the alleged AI-generated photos and manipulation of personal data in the register. When is the final voter register due? December 15, 2026. How many voters are on the register? More than 103 million, according to INEC. |
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