•Lawrence Bayode

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has begun cleaning up the affected Register of Voters following the identification of records with suspected AI-generated photographs and other irregularities.

The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, confirmed this in a public statement on Sunday, emphasising that its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) had flagged 268 records for 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,” he said.

Bayode explained that some people allegedly used their official credentials to create questionable profiles, exploiting a registration option designed for persons with disabilities who do not have complete fingers or have no fingers.

According to him, the option, known as special registration, was used to deceive the system and was among the irregularities detected by ABIS.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Friday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently clean up the national voters’ register by removing the names of deceased Nigerians still appearing on the commission’s database.

Dr. Chiogo Constance Ikokwu, Spokesperson National Presidential Campaign Council of the party, said that the clean up is critical for a credible 2027 general election.

According to her, some deceased Nigerians, including prominent figures such as Raymond Dokpesi, Ifeanyi Ubah, Muhammadu Buhari and Rotimi Akeredolu, still appear on the voters’ register, raising serious questions about its accuracy and integrity.

“These are just a few names. What about the 774 local government areas across Nigeria? How many deceased persons remain on the register? When was it last comprehensively updated? Is this an oversight, institutional failure or something more troubling?,” she queried.

She emphasised that INEC has the legal responsibility to cleanse the register, especially if it has been notified by citizens.

Her words: The electoral body owes Nigerians answers. We demand a credible, up-to-date and verifiable voters’ register ahead of the 2027 elections.

We call on Nigerians, and political parties to take advantage of their rights and file objections to the electoral body so INEC can effect removals.

On its part, INEC needs to look into these complaints, establish a portal to put all names under objection and give persons against whom a complaint has been lodged the opportunity to respond (in the case of the living), as well as publishing the procedure to object to illegal names in the interest of the public.

The electoral body is a well-funded organisation paid for by citizens, and therefore must provide value for money.

Nigerians will accept nothing less than the highest standards of efficiency, professionalism and accountability from INEC.

The electoral body must demonstrate that it has the capacity, competence and commitment to deliver an election whose credibility cannot reasonably be called into question.

This is not too much to ask; it is the bare minimum expected of an institution entrusted with the people’s democratic mandate.

Furthermore, in light of the 2023 election credibility challenges, it is time for an independent, unbiased and professional audit of INEC processes and mechanisms.

The 2027 election is too critical for unanswered questions about the very foundation of our democracy. No excuses. No complacency. No questionable register. INEC must do its job.”

Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has said 90 per cent of Nigerian politicians would not remain in office if democracy were practised as it should be, arguing that many officeholders did not emerge through the genuine choice of voters.

Okorocha spoke during an appearance on Arise News on Thursday, while reacting to the Federal High Court’s judgment nullifying Governor Hope Uzodimma’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 elections and directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise Okorocha as the winner of the party’s May 18 primary.

“If democracy is practiced the way it should be practiced, 90% of people holding office in Nigeria cannot hold office,” he said.

Okorocha argued that political candidates were often imposed on voters rather than emerging through a credible democratic process.

“Most of them are not truly the choice of people. These are people who are imposed, opportunists, who find their way,” he said.

The former governor said the court judgment was significant beyond his personal political contest, arguing that it raised broader questions about the integrity of party primaries and the electoral process.