INEC Blames Registration Officers for AI-Generated Photos, Irregularities in Voter Register
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has blamed some of its registration officers for the appearance of suspected AI-generated photographs and other irregularities in its preliminary voter register.
The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Arise Television while responding to public concerns over the newly released register.
INEC had come under criticism after Nigerians raised concerns about alleged duplicate voter records, photographs suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence, and the inclusion of deceased persons in the register.
Some social media users had also shared screenshots showing questionable voter entries from a polling unit in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
Speaking on the development, Bayode said preliminary findings linked the irregularities to some registration officers who allegedly abused their access to the commission’s registration portal.
He explained that the officers had individual login details that enabled them to register voters and update information on the system.
According to him, some officers across different states allegedly used their access to introduce questionable records into the database.
Bayode confirmed that some of the photographs were AI-generated, describing the entries as evidence of serious misconduct by certain registration officers.
He further disclosed that the commission identified the irregularities through its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which helped reveal what happened and how the questionable records entered the database.
Although INEC has identified how some of the irregularities occurred, Bayode said he could not explain the motives behind the actions of the officers involved.
He added that the commission had been working to clean up the voter register even before releasing the preliminary version, explaining that it was under pressure to complete the exercise within the legally stipulated 90-day period.
INEC Discovers Officers Behind Fake AI Voter Photos, Duplicate Entries
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says some of its registration officers are responsible for the questionable entries, including suspected AI-generated photographs, discovered in its preliminary voter register.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, made the revelation on Friday during an appearance on Arise Television, following widespread reactions to the commission’s recently unveiled voter register.
The development comes after Nigerians spotted several alleged discrepancies in the register, including duplicate entries, photographs suspected to be AI-generated and records bearing the names of deceased individuals.
One of the controversial cases involved entries from a polling unit in Etsako West LGA of Edo State, where photographs suspected to have been generated with artificial intelligence were circulated on social media.
Addressing the controversy, Bayode said some registration officers had allegedly manipulated the system because they had access to INEC’s registration portal.
He noted that the officers were provided with login credentials to carry out voter registration but that some allegedly abused the privilege to introduce irregular records.
Bayode said the commission had identified some of the officers’ activities and established how the questionable entries found their way into the register through its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
He said, however, that the commission was still unable to establish why the officers engaged in such activities.
The INEC director also maintained that efforts to sanitise the voter register had been ongoing before its preliminary publication.
He explained that the commission was working within a statutory 90-day timeframe, which had placed pressure on it to complete the registration and verification exercise.
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