Viral social media allegations claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission voter register contains over 20 million artificial intelligence-generated profiles lack any backing in methodology or verifiable data. The claim originated from an online post that cited a preliminary roll displaying questionable passport photographs with grid patterns and unnatural digital features from polling units in Edo State.
What do official sources say about the register?
The Independent National Electoral Commission published the preliminary voter register online on October 26, following its display at registration areas earlier that month. Mohammed Kudu Haruna, who leads the commission's Information and Voter Education Committee, stated that flagged entries were undergoing review, emphasizing that the online version predated final data cleanup operations.
Later, Lawrence Bayode, the Director of Information and Communication Technology at the Independent National Electoral Commission, appeared on television to address the situation. He disclosed that certain registration officers compromised the system across multiple states by utilizing official login credentials to upload irregular records.
"Some of these pictures are AI-generated, while some of them are not AI- generated, but very bad registration," Bayode explained, noting that the commission utilized its Automated Biometric Identification System to detect the irregularities.
Where does the 20 million figure fall short?
With the total national voter database standing at over 103 million individuals, an assertion of 20 million flawed records would account for nearly twenty percent of the entire register. Data from the recent Continuous Voter Registration exercise recorded an intake of approximately 10.6 million new applicants across three phases, meaning the viral claim exceeds the total recent registration intake by nearly double.
Electoral officials have not released a definitive total of the compromised profiles, while civil society organizations and political figures continue to apply pressure. Samson Itodo of Yiaga Africa urged the commission to release a comprehensive age demographic breakdown of the preliminary roll. Meanwhile, prominent political figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have demanded the public identification and prosecution of all involved personnel, alongside an independent forensic audit before the certification of the final register.
The Independent National Electoral Commission scheduled the final certification of the voter register for December 15, ahead of the general elections slated for January 2027.