Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has threatened to take legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) if it fails to identify officials allegedly responsible for irregularities in the preliminary voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku is also demanding an independent forensic audit of the affected records and disclosure of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials.
The former vice-president made the demands in a statement issued on Friday through his campaign spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, following INEC’s explanation that some registration officers allegedly used their official access credentials to introduce questionable records into the voter registration database.
Atiku described the development as a serious breach of public trust, arguing that the commission must establish how the irregularities occurred and identify those responsible rather than simply correcting the affected records.
He called for an independent examination of the voter registration database, photographs, access logs and audit trails to determine the extent of the problem.
“INEC must not quietly ‘clean up’ the register and bury the evidence. The allegation that more than 20 million AI-generated images may be involved demands an independent forensic audit,” he said.
Atiku also questioned why INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, had not publicly identified the officials allegedly implicated in the irregularities.
He warned that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) could approach the courts if the electoral commission failed to provide the information and explanations being demanded.
The controversy followed the publication of INEC’s preliminary Register of Voters on its website on October 26, 2026, after concerns emerged over suspicious photographs, duplicate entries and other questionable records.
Speaking on Arise Television on Friday, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, said the commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System helped uncover the irregularities and trace some of them to registration officers who had access to the database.
Bayode explained that some of the photographs were suspected to be AI-generated, while others resulted from poor registration procedures. He said officers with access to the registration platform allegedly introduced questionable records into the system.
The ICT director, however, said the commission was reviewing the affected entries and working to correct the problems before the final register is certified.
INEC had earlier clarified that the document uploaded online was the same preliminary register displayed physically at Registration Areas across the country between October 9 and 15 as part of its Display, Claims and Objections exercise.
The commission maintained that the register was not the final certified version and that its review process was intended to identify and correct inaccuracies before certification, scheduled for December 15, 2026.
Atiku’s demands come amid growing scrutiny of INEC’s preparations for the 2027 elections, particularly over the accuracy of the voter register and transparency in the procurement of sensitive election materials.
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