The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has clarified the circumstances surrounding suspected Artificial Intelligence-generated photographs discovered in the Preliminary Register of Voters recently published on its official website, assuring Nigerians that the anomalies are being addressed.

The electoral body gave the clarification in a press statement issued on Monday, 27th October, 2026, and signed by the Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, IVEC, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.

INEC said it has taken note of public concerns and reports circulating on various social media platforms regarding the presence of questionable and apparently AI-generated images in the preliminary voters register that was put in the public domain.

The Commission explained that the register published online on 26th October, 2026, is exactly the same preliminary register that was physically displayed at Registration Areas, RAs, across the 774 local government areas of the country from 9th to 15th October, 2026.

According to INEC, the physical display was conducted as part of the constitutionally mandated Display, Claims and Objections exercise, which is a critical stage in the continuous voter registration process aimed at allowing citizens to scrutinize the register.

The Commission stated that during the physical display at the Registration Areas, several questionable registration records, including blurred images, non-human images and other irregular entries, were identified by its officials and members of the public.

It noted that those identified irregular records were duly flagged and documented for further examination, review and necessary corrective action in accordance with its established guidelines and procedures for data clean-up.

INEC further disclosed that it had already commenced the process of reviewing the flagged records and taking appropriate corrective measures, even before the concerns were amplified on social media.

The Commission, however, clarified that the version of the register published on its website represents the original, uncleaned preliminary register as displayed, and does not yet reflect the ongoing data clean-up activities being undertaken by its technical department.

It stressed that the online publication was made in the spirit of transparency and to extend the opportunity for public scrutiny to Nigerians who could not physically visit their Registration Areas during the display period.

INEC emphasized that it is important for Nigerians to understand that what is currently in circulation is a preliminary register and not the final, certified register that will be used for the 2027 general elections.

The electoral umpire explained that the entire purpose of the Display, Claims and Objections exercise is precisely to facilitate public participation, to identify inaccuracies, multiple registrations, underage registrations and other irregularities, and to enable corrections before final certification.

It said the detection of the suspicious AI-generated photographs by vigilant citizens is in fact a validation that the display process is working as intended, as it allows errors to be spotted and corrected.

The Commission stated that it is currently investigating the circumstances that led to the appearance of the suspicious photographs in the register, including possible technical glitches, procedural lapses or compromise by field staff.

It noted that preliminary internal findings suggest that some of the images may have been uploaded during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise due to malfunctioning camera devices, poor internet connectivity or deliberate attempts to circumvent the registration software.

INEC assured that appropriate administrative and disciplinary action will be taken against any staff or ad-hoc personnel found to have compromised the process, based on verified findings from the ongoing investigation.

The Commission expressed appreciation to Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media and other stakeholders who have shown vigilance and have drawn public attention to the anomalies in the register.

It described such active citizen engagement as a welcome development that contributes significantly to improving the accuracy, credibility and integrity of the national voters register.

INEC reiterated its commitment to conducting a thorough verification, adjudication and data clean-up process before the final register is produced, in line with international best practices and electoral laws.

The Commission noted that its technical team, in collaboration with external data consultants, is deploying advanced biometric de-duplication and facial recognition technologies to identify and remove all invalid registrations.

It assured that all verified irregularities, including AI-generated photographs, multiple registrations, underage registrations and other ineligible entries, will be expunged from the register through the applicable legal procedures.

INEC also said it will publish a supplementary list of all corrections made to the register for public information after the clean-up exercise is concluded.

The Commission further stated that it remains on course to complete all necessary processes ahead of the scheduled certification and publication of the final Register of Voters on 15th December, 2026.

It urged political parties, civil society organisations and all eligible voters to continue to participate actively in the process by reporting any further irregularities they may observe in the preliminary register.

INEC warned that any attempt by individuals to deliberately register with false information or fictitious photographs is an electoral offence punishable under the Electoral Act 2022.

The Commission also called on Nigerians to disregard any attempt to use the discovery of the irregular images to discredit the entire voter registration process or to cast aspersions on its commitment to a credible electoral process.

It stressed that the integrity of the voters register is central to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections, and that it will not compromise on that responsibility.

INEC assured Nigerians of its unwavering dedication to delivering a clean, credible and inclusive voters register that will stand the test of public scrutiny and international observation.

The Commission concluded by promising that further updates will be provided to the public as the review, verification and clean-up of the preliminary register progresses, to ensure full transparency and accountability.