Fresh controversy has emerged over the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, following allegations that irregular registrations may have infiltrated the country’s voters‘ database.
The controversy has placed INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, under scrutiny, with former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili, questioning the commission’s ability to conduct credible elections after reports of suspected manipulation involving artificial intelligence-generated photographs and questionable voter information.
At the centre of the unfolding situation is the commission’s plan to remove approximately 1.5 million registrations identified as irregular from the national database.
INEC says the exercise is part of efforts to establish a more reliable voters’ register before the next general elections.
However, Ezekwesili believes the alleged compromise raises deeper institutional concerns that cannot be resolved simply by deleting questionable entries.
Speaking during a meeting with representatives of the United Nations in Abuja on Wednesday, Amupitan explained that the commission had introduced technology-assisted verification measures to identify problematic registrations.
The meeting took place at INEC’s headquarters, where the chairman received a delegation led by Leonardo Santos Simão, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
Amupitan explained that the affected records would be addressed through the claims and objections procedure as part of the final review of the electoral database.
The commission has scheduled December 15, 2026, for publication of the final register, a major milestone in its preparations for the 2027 elections.
The chairman put Nigeria’s registered voting population at approximately 103 million, disclosing that citizens aged between 18 and 34 represent almost 29 per cent of the total.
He also outlined plans to improve the reliability of election technology, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
According to him, the commission intends to conduct mock accreditation and simulated voting exercises to determine how effectively the systems perform before they are deployed during the general elections.
The exercises are expected to expose possible operational shortcomings and provide an opportunity for INEC to address technical difficulties before the commencement of actual voting.
Amupitan also drew attention to the dangers posed by the increasing circulation of false information, warning that misinformation, disinformation and foreign interference could weaken confidence in the electoral process.
He particularly identified the misuse of Artificial Intelligence and coordinated digital campaigns as emerging challenges that electoral authorities must confront.
Ezekwesili questions electoral commission’s independence
Ezekwesili, however, believes the concerns surrounding the voters’ register have gone beyond technical challenges and require a fundamental examination of INEC’s internal operations.
The former minister argued that Nigerians could not reasonably be expected to have confidence in the 2027 elections if questions about the integrity of the electoral commission remained unresolved.
Her position followed revelations attributed to INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, concerning the alleged introduction of fabricated entries into the preliminary voters’ register.
Bayode reportedly disclosed on October 30, 2026, that some registration officers had allegedly used their authorised login details to introduce AI-generated photographs, duplicate registrations and other questionable information into the database.
The revelation has raised concerns about how individuals with legitimate access to the commission’s systems could allegedly have used their positions to compromise information entrusted to the electoral body.
Reacting to the development, Ezekwesili argued that the incident should be treated as a possible case of internal sabotage rather than an ordinary technical failure.
She maintained that the institution responsible for protecting the country’s electoral records must explain how such alleged activities became possible.
“Let us be clear about what this is. This is not a hack from outside. This is not a glitch. This is sabotage from within the very institution to which the Nigerian people entrusted the register of our sovereignty,” she said.
She further challenged the ownership and management of the national voters’ register, insisting that INEC only had custody of the database on behalf of Nigerian citizens.
According to her, the legitimacy of elected officials and public institutions originates from the electorate, making the protection of citizens’ voting records a fundamental democratic responsibility.
Ezekwesili said the register did not belong to the electoral commission, the Federal Government or any political party, stressing that Nigerians were its rightful owners.
She declared: “The register of voters neither belongs to INEC nor the federal government nor the ruling party. It belongs to us, the citizens of Nigeria. Period! INEC merely holds it in trust. That trust, by its own admission, has been totally broken with the AI infiltration of the voter register.”
The former minister also opposed any arrangement that would allow INEC to investigate the allegations without independent supervision.
She argued that the officers suspected of manipulating the records, their supervisors and departments responsible for administering the technological platform should be subjected to an impartial investigation.
In her assessment, allowing the commission to determine the extent of a controversy involving its own personnel could create room for conflicts of interest.
She questioned whether those responsible for granting access to the database, maintaining the system and approving the preliminary register would be willing to expose every aspect of the alleged irregularities.
Questions over investigation and accountability
Ezekwesili also criticised what she described as the absence of sufficient explanations from INEC since the controversy first emerged.
She referred to the commission’s October 27 statement, arguing that it failed to provide a clear account of how the questionable registrations entered the database.
She subsequently pointed to Bayode’s reported October 30 disclosure that registration officers in several states had allegedly been involved, while evidence was still being gathered.
The former minister questioned why the public had not received a detailed breakdown of the affected registrations, including the states, local government areas and individual officers connected to the incident.
She also wanted to know whether any suspected personnel had been suspended or handed over to the police for investigation.
For Ezekwesili, the absence of clear answers creates further uncertainty at a time when preparations for another general election should be focused on strengthening democratic institutions.
The disagreement presents INEC with two immediate challenges: completing the exercise to eliminate questionable voter registrations and addressing public concerns about the circumstances that allowed the alleged irregularities to occur.
Although the commission has outlined its plans for improving the accuracy of the register and testing its election technology, the controversy is likely to keep the management of electoral data under public scrutiny.
With December 15 set as the date for publication of the final register, attention will increasingly focus on whether INEC can provide a credible database and sufficiently address questions about its internal accountability ahead of the 2027 elections.
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