How AI-generated photos entered INEC voter register — ICT director

The Independent National Electoral Commission has traced the appearance of suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs in its preliminary register of voters to irregularities allegedly introduced by some registration officers who had access to its registration system.

INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this on Friday during an appearance on Arise Television, explaining that some registration officers across the country used their login details to introduce questionable records into the database.

He said the commission discovered the irregularities through its Automated Biometric Identification System, which was used to examine the registration records.

“We have registration officers on the field. And these registration officers, they have login details to log into the system.

“So what we have found is that some of these registration officers, not all of them now, some of them across the states nationwide, they’ve done different things to bring these irregularities onto the register,” Bayode said.

He explained that while some of the photographs were generated using artificial intelligence, others resulted from poor registration procedures.

“Some of these pictures are AI-generated. Some of them not AI-generated, but very bad registration. And this thing got into the register by the registration officers and because they have access to register people,” he said.

Bayode added that INEC had identified the records and understood how some of the irregularities occurred, but could not explain why the officers involved had introduced them.

“When the ABIS was run on the system, we saw these people. We know what they did. We know how they did it. But honestly, I don’t know why,” he added.

• Edo community urges Okpebholo to intervene in kingship crisis
• Morning recap: Adebutu, Gwarzo gov’ship ambitions in limbo, Toluwanisings’ children get scholarship, other top stories
• Pantami’s reinstatement on INEC list excites supporters

The ICT director said the commission had been working to clean up the register even before publishing the preliminary version, adding that it was under pressure to complete the exercise within the statutory 90-day period.

The disclosure follows public concerns over suspicious photographs and other irregularities discovered after INEC uploaded its preliminary register of voters to its website on October 26.

As previously reported by The PUNCH, screenshots circulated on social media showed photographs suspected to have been generated using AI attached to voter records in parts of Edo State.

Other concerns included alleged duplicate entries and complaints by some registered voters that their details were missing from the online register.

INEC had earlier said the online version was the same preliminary register physically displayed at Registration Areas nationwide between October 9 and 15 for the Display, Claims and Objections exercise.

In a statement on October 27, the commission said some questionable records had been identified and flagged during the physical display, adding that it had commenced a review and corrective action.

It also stressed that the published register was not the final certified version and that the online release did not reflect all ongoing data-cleanup activities.

INEC is expected to complete its verification, adjudication and data-cleanup processes before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.