INEC Flags 268 Voter Records Over Suspected AI-Generated Photos, Begins Cleanup

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun cleaning up its preliminary Register of Voters after identifying 268 records flagged for suspected AI-generated photographs and other irregularities.

The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, explaining that its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) had identified the records for further review.

“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 some individuals allegedly exploited a special registration option designed for persons with disabilities who have incomplete fingers or no fingers to create questionable voter profiles.

According to him, the option was abused by people who allegedly used their official credentials to manipulate the registration process. He said the commission had started removing records identified as irregular.

“Those that we have seen, we are cleaning up,” he said.

However, Bayode clarified that INEC would not automatically remove every photograph that had been enhanced using artificial intelligence. He distinguished between images generated entirely by AI and genuine photographs improved with AI-powered tools on mobile phones.

He said voters whose original photographs had merely been enhanced would remain on the register, while records containing AI-generated photographs would be removed after verification.

The controversy followed INEC’s publication of its preliminary Register of Voters online on October 26. Screenshots circulated on social media showing questionable photographs attached to voter records, including entries from parts of Edo State.

The concerns also extended to alleged duplicate registrations and reports that the names of deceased persons appeared on the register.

In response, INEC explained that the online version was the same preliminary register displayed physically at Registration Areas nationwide between October 9 and 15. It said the publication did not include all the data-cleanup activities already underway.

The commission stressed that the register was not yet the final certified version, describing the display, claims and objections exercise as an opportunity for members of the public to identify inaccuracies and questionable entries before certification.

INEC said it would complete the necessary verification, adjudication and data-cleanup processes before certifying the final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.