Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to identify and disclose the officials responsible for the alleged insertion of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated photographs into the national voters’ register.
Atiku, through a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, described INEC’s admission that AI-generated images and other irregularities were introduced into the voter register by its registration officers as a serious scandal capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral body.
He urged opposition political leaders and the international community to press for an independent forensic audit of the voter register, alongside full disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the alleged breach and accountability for those involved.
The former Vice President also accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of allegedly allowing the controversy to persist by failing to ensure adequate scrutiny of INEC’s activities. He maintained that the commission could not reasonably expect Nigerians to trust its electoral processes while refusing to expose those allegedly responsible for compromising the register.
Reacting to the development, Atiku faulted INEC for acknowledging that irregularities occurred without providing satisfactory explanations about the individuals behind them. He said the commission’s position raised serious questions about its leadership, internal controls and information security systems.
“INEC has admitted that some AI generated images are on the voter register and that registration officers introduced irregularities across the country. The Commission charged with protecting Nigerians’ votes has acknowledged that its own system was abused by those entrusted to operate it. This is a catastrophic failure of leadership and safeguards.
“Professor Joash Amupitan through Boyode Lawrence says INEC knows what its officers did and how they tampered with the register, yet claims it does not know why. That is a disgraceful evasion, not an answer. Even ordinary WhatsApp, Facebook and email accounts appear to have stronger security safeguards than those INEC’s ICT director described on national television. How can the database holding the votes of millions of Nigerians be less secure than a personal social media account?
“If INEC knows how the register was compromised, it must disclose the evidence, identify every officer involved and explain why they have not been suspended and prosecuted. Amupitan cannot admit the misconduct, withhold the perpetrators’ identities and expect Nigerians to accept ignorance as an excuse. He must account for this failure now,” Atiku stated.
Atiku further warned against any attempt by INEC to make discreet corrections to the voter register without preserving evidence of the alleged manipulation. He argued that claims suggesting more than 20 million AI-generated photographs could be implicated were too serious to be addressed through an internal review, insisting that an independent forensic investigation was necessary to establish the extent of the alleged irregularities.
Reiterating his demand for transparency, the ADC presidential candidate said INEC must publicly identify the officials involved, disclose the contractors connected to the process and make the voter register and relevant electoral materials available for independent examination.
“INEC has no right to demand trust while concealing evidence and shielding those responsible. Name the culprits, expose the contractors and submit the register and election materials to independent scrutiny. Until then, its assurances are worthless. The credibility of the 2027 election is on the line.”
