- We’re Cleaning Up Affected 268 Suspicious Records’, INEC Responds
- Uncovers Abuse Of Special Registration Facility For Persons With Disabilities
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to launch an independent investigation into suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and questionable registration records discovered in the preliminary Register of Voters released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The organisation also wants the commission to establish whether Nigerians’ personal data were unlawfully accessed, altered or manipulated and whether the alleged irregularities constitute a breach of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
SERAP, in a letter dated October 31, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, called on Tinubu to direct the NDPC’s National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Vincent Olatunji, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suspicious photographs and establish those responsible.
The demand follows INEC’s acknowledgement of public concerns over suspected AI-generated photographs and questionable registration records identified during the nationwide physical display of the preliminary voters’ register between October 9 and 15, 2026.
SERAP warned that the reported irregularities raised serious concerns about the security and integrity of Nigerians’ personal information and the credibility of the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The security and accuracy of the voter register are fundamental to the protection of Nigerians’ personal data and their right to participate in public affairs,” the organisation said.
It added that Nigerians should not have to fear that their personal information could be altered, manipulated or accessed without adequate safeguards.
The rights group called for an independent forensic examination of INEC’s affected database and systems to determine the extent of the suspected irregularities, whether personal data were compromised and whether the electoral commission complied with its statutory data protection obligations.
It also asked the NDPC to establish whether the incidents amounted to a personal data breach under Section 65 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act and whether INEC fulfilled its applicable notification and record-keeping obligations.
SERAP wants the investigation to determine the number and geographical distribution of affected records, when and how they were created or altered, and the individuals or institutions responsible.
It further raised concerns over possible misuse of authorised access credentials by voter registration officers and alleged failures to guarantee the accuracy, integrity and security of personal data held by INEC.
Insisting that the electoral commission’s internal review was insufficient, SERAP said an independent investigation by the data protection regulator was necessary to establish the facts and ensure accountability.
“An internal review by INEC cannot substitute for the NDPC’s independent exercise of its statutory data-protection mandate,” it stated.
The organisation warned that any unlawful alteration or compromise of the voters’ database could undermine public confidence in the electoral process, affect the reliability of the register and expose eligible voters to wrongful exclusion.
It consequently urged the NDPC to recommend stronger security safeguards and establish accessible procedures through which affected Nigerians could verify and correct their records without being unfairly denied the opportunity to vote.
SERAP also demanded the publication of the investigation’s findings and recommendations, subject to lawful protections, and appropriate sanctions where wrongdoing was established.
INEC had, in a statement issued on October 27, acknowledged concerns over “suspected AI-generated photographs appearing in the Preliminary Register of Voters” published on its website.
The commission disclosed that during the nationwide physical display of the register, a number of questionable registration records were identified and flagged for further examination.
It said it had commenced a review and was taking appropriate corrective action, while examining the circumstances surrounding the suspicious photographs, including possible technical or procedural lapses.
INEC, however, maintained that the online publication did not reflect all ongoing data-cleanup activities, stressing that the preliminary register was not the final certified version.
The commission said it would complete the necessary verification, adjudication and data-cleanup processes before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.
In making its case for an independent investigation, SERAP cited Sections 24 and 39 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, which require personal data to be processed accurately and securely and protected against unlawful alteration, loss or unauthorised access.
It also referenced Section 40, which requires data controllers to notify the NDPC of a personal data breach likely to pose a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms within 72 hours of becoming aware of it.
The organisation further cited Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy, as well as provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protecting citizens’ rights to participate in government and vote in genuine elections.
SERAP gave Tinubu seven days from the receipt or publication of its letter to ensure that the requested measures were implemented.
It threatened legal action and other lawful measures against the Federal Government, NDPC, INEC and other relevant authorities if its demands were not addressed within the stipulated period.
“If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions and other lawful measures to compel your government, the NDPC, INEC and other relevant authorities to comply with our requests in the public interest,” it warned.
The organisation insisted that the alleged irregularities must be independently investigated and resolved before INEC certifies the final voters’ register, stressing that Nigerians must have confidence in the accuracy, reliability and security of the database that will determine participation in the 2027 general elections.
Responding, the electoral commission has disclosed that it has commenced the removal of questionable entries from its preliminary Register of Voters after its automated system flagged 268 records over suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other irregularities.
The commission disclosed that some individuals allegedly exploited its special registration facility, designed for persons with disabilities who have incomplete or missing fingers, to create questionable voter profiles using official registration credentials.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, explaining that the commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) had identified 268 records requiring further examination.
“What we are currently doing now is looking at all these 268 records that ABIS already flagged as AI-generated or even something of irregularities,” Bayode said.
He explained that preliminary investigations revealed that some individuals allegedly manipulated the special registration option, which accommodates persons who cannot provide complete fingerprints because of physical disabilities.
According to him, the facility was exploited to circumvent the commission’s registration procedures and create suspicious profiles.
Bayode, however, said INEC had begun cleaning up the affected records, assuring Nigerians that entries established to be fraudulent or supported by entirely AI-generated photographs would be removed.
“Those that we have seen, we are cleaning up,” he said.
The INEC official also clarified that the commission would not indiscriminately remove every photograph that had undergone artificial intelligence enhancement, distinguishing between entirely fabricated images and genuine photographs improved with AI-powered applications on mobile phones.
He said eligible voters whose original photographs had merely been enhanced using mobile phone applications would not be excluded from the register.
“Those that we know it is the AI on the phone that helped enhance their pictures, we can’t exclude such people because it was the AI on the phone that does that. Such people will still be on the register but those AI-generated, those photographs, all these will be removed. We are already looking at them,” he explained.
The controversy erupted following the publication of INEC’s preliminary Register of Voters online on October 26, after screenshots circulated on social media showing questionable photographs attached to voter records, including entries from parts of Edo State.
Public concerns also extended to alleged duplicate registrations and reports that names of deceased persons appeared in the database.
In its earlier response, INEC maintained that the online register was the same preliminary document displayed physically at Registration Areas across the country between October 9 and 15.
The commission explained that the publication did not capture all the data-cleanup activities already underway, stressing that the preliminary register was not the final certified version.
It also said the nationwide display and claims-and-objections exercise was specifically designed to enable Nigerians identify inaccurate information, suspicious entries and other irregularities before the final register is certified.
INEC has fixed December 15, 2026, for the certification of the final Register of Voters, following the completion of verification, adjudication and data-cleanup exercises.
The latest disclosure comes amid growing calls for greater transparency and an independent investigation into the suspected manipulation of voter records, particularly concerns about the security of Nigerians’ personal information and the credibility of the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
