INEC flags 268 voter records over suspected AI-generated photos — and says the cleanup has begun
Nigeria's electoral commission INEC says its biometric system flagged 268 records in the preliminary Register of Voters for suspected AI-generated photographs or other irregularities, and that entries confirmed irregular are being removed ahead of the 2027 elections. ICT director Lawrence Bayode told Channels Television that photographs generated entirely by AI will be removed, while genuine photos merely enhanced by phone AI tools will stay. The final register is due to be certified on 15 December 2026.
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Key points
- INEC's biometric system ABIS flagged 268 preliminary voter records for suspected AI-generated photos or other irregularities — ICT director Lawrence Bayode, on Channels TV.
- Cleanup rule, in Bayode's words: photos generated entirely by AI will be removed; genuine photos only enhanced by phone AI stay — 'Such people will still be on the register.'
- How the entries were made is an allegation, not a finding: Bayode points to alleged misuse of the disability special-registration option — labelled Not yet verified on this page.
- Timeline: preliminary register displayed 9–15 October, published online 26 October; final register to be certified 15 December 2026, ahead of the 2027 elections.
What happened
The argument started with the register itself: after INEC put the preliminary Register of Voters online on 26 October, screenshots circulated showing questionable photographs attached to voter records, particularly in parts of Edo State, alongside public complaints about alleged duplicate registrations and deceased persons' names. INEC's answer is that the document was always preliminary — the same register displayed at Registration Areas from 9 to 15 October for claims and objections — and that the cleanup the display was meant to trigger is now under way.
Bayode's distinction is the part that touches ordinary voters: many Nigerians' registration photos were taken or improved by phones that apply AI enhancement automatically. INEC says those voters stay on the register; only records whose photographs were generated entirely by AI, or otherwise confirmed irregular, are being removed.
Claim by claim
Why this label: Verified as INEC's own account, given on the record by its ICT director on Channels Television's Sunday Politics and reported with the same quotes and figures by Punch (read in full via live browser), The Sun Nigeria (read in full) and other Nigerian outlets in this pass. The 268 is INEC's count of records flagged for review — not a finding that 268 fake voters were registered.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Bayode's own distinction, in his words as reported identically by Punch and The Sun Nigeria, both read in this pass. This is INEC's stated policy for the cleanup.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: This is INEC's allegation about how the entries were made, as stated by Bayode — no investigation finding, disciplinary outcome or prosecution had been published when this page was written, so who created the entries and how remains Not yet verified.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
Show all claims (2 more)
Why this label: The dates and the preliminary status are in INEC's own statement (Information and Voter Education Committee chairman Mohammed Kudu Haruna, in Punch's report) and are carried identically by The Sun Nigeria. The display was the public claims-and-objections exercise, not the final register.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Verified as the stated positions of SERAP and of the figures Punch quoted (including Rabiu Kwankwaso, Pat Utomi and Clement Nwankwo): SERAP's letter and its demand are reported by Matrix News from the letter itself, and the reactions are in Punch's report read in full. These are calls for an investigation — they are not findings about the register.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The 268 figure, the ABIS flagging and the start of removals — INEC's own account from its ICT director, reported identically by multiple Nigerian outlets read in this pass.
- The cleanup rule (AI-generated out, AI-enhanced stays) and the register timeline, ending in certification on 15 December 2026.
What we don't know yet
- How many of the 268 flagged records will finally be confirmed irregular and removed — the review is still running.
- Who created the questionable entries and whether any official faces consequences — Bayode's account of the disability-option route is an allegation; no investigation finding had been published.
- Whether the wider public complaints — duplicate registrations, deceased persons' names, missing details — are substantiated beyond the 268 flagged records.
Why it matters
The register is the election: a name wrongly on it, or wrongly removed from it, becomes a dispute on polling day in 2027. INEC has six weeks to finish this cleanup before certifying the final register on 15 December, and the AI-photo question — a fabricated face versus a phone-improved one — is a problem no Nigerian election has had to solve before.
Background
Show the background timeline (4)
The preliminary Register of Voters is displayed at Registration Areas nationwide for claims and objections (INEC).
INEC publishes the same preliminary register online; screenshots of questionable photographs, particularly from parts of Edo State, circulate and draw public criticism (Punch; The Sun Nigeria).
SERAP writes to President Tinubu urging an independent investigation by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission into how the suspected AI-generated photographs entered the register (Matrix News).
ICT director Lawrence Bayode tells Channels Television's Sunday Politics that ABIS flagged 268 records, that confirmed irregular entries are being cleaned up, and that AI-enhanced genuine photos will stay (Punch; The Sun Nigeria).
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Story published in Checking state (queue #874). Basis: Punch read in full via live browser and The Sun Nigeria read in full, reporting INEC ICT director Lawrence Bayode's Channels TV interview with matching quotes and figures; SERAP's investigation call via Matrix News. The flagged count and cleanup rule are verified as INEC's own account; how the entries were created stays Not yet verified.