The Independent National Electoral Commission has come under heavy criticism after Nigerians examining the preliminary voters’ register published on its website discovered what they described as artificial intelligence-generated photographs, duplicate records and questionable voter profiles, with the most detailed complaints centred on Edo State. The controversy erupted after the commission finally unlocked the register following weeks of public pressure, and users immediately began sharing screenshots of entries that appeared to have been created using AI.
The allegations were first raised by a property expert and housing advocate known on X as Decosule (@SuleDeco), who posted screenshots from INEC’s online display portal showing voter records from several polling units in Ward 11, Etsako West Local Government Area. The images, displayed alongside voters’ details, showed what he suspected were artificially generated faces. Decosule demanded to know who infused the AI images into the register, who carried out the capturing, and whether Permanent Voter Cards had been collected for the affected entries. He also noted that similar AI images appeared in the register in Udomi, Esan Central Local Government Area, the home local government of the Edo State governor.
Other Nigerians quickly picked up the thread, sharing their own findings and expressing outrage. One user, @Umeh, wrote: “They keep saying get your voters card, but behind the scene they are working to make your votes invalid. Imagine an agency saddled with the responsibility of conducting free and fair election having its head accused of supporting the ruling party, and now AI generated images and names on its website. Nigerians are not angry enough!” Professor Pat Utomi weighed in, stating: “INEC cannot afford to be careless with the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process. The presence of AI-generated images in a register meant to support our democracy raises serious questions about verification, transparency and accountability. Our democracy is at stake here!”
Dear @inecnigeria can you explain why you have AI Generated images on the INEC Register in polling units in Ward 11, Etsako West LG, Edo State.
We want explanation.
Who infused AI generated images in the register?
who did the capturing?
Who collected their pvcs if they have… pic.twitter.com/B2qRTuZCH4
— Decosule (@SuleDeco) October 26, 2026
Another user, @Morris Monye, alleged a deliberate scheme: “This is how INEC wants to run the 2027 election and opposition are looking. Duplicate as many names as possible for multiple voting, flood the register with AI information. This is advanced level vote layering.” @Ken wrote: “Whatever you’re doing as a Nigerian, you better stop and take a look at this. INEC just committed an abomination. They have tampered with the voters register by inserting AI generated voter’s profile. This is probably why they’ve refused to release the voters register for scrutiny. Amupitan must resign, INEC needs to be occupied…this country needs to be shut down till this madness is corrected.” @Eze added: “This is a national disgrace. @inecnigeria so after collecting Billions of tax payers money, this is the best you can give in return? An election based on fake and fictitious voters registration?? AI images with harvested NIN from our national database? This is shameful.”
The controversy has also drawn attention to the commission’s decision to withhold the detailed register for days after announcing a total of 103,428,715 registered voters, a move that had already fuelled suspicion. Critics argue that the delay gave room for manipulation and that the discovery of AI-generated images confirms their worst fears. One user, @felix, wrote: “Nigerians, there is fire on the mountain! After weeks of dragging INEC to publish the voters’ register, they have finally unlocked it on…” The post trailed off, but the message was clear.
INEC has not responded to the allegations or explained how the disputed entries entered the register. The commission has previously stated that it does not verify the authenticity of documents before publication and that disputes should be resolved in court. But for Nigerians who have spent weeks demanding transparency, the silence is damning. The allegations have not been independently verified, and it remains unclear whether the images were deliberately generated to manipulate the register or whether they are the result of a technical error. What is clear is that public confidence in the commission is collapsing ahead of the 2027 general elections, and the discovery of AI-generated faces in the voters’ register has given critics yet another reason to question whether INEC can be trusted to conduct a free and fair election.
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