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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
A coalition of opposition political parties, under the aegis of the Coalition for Democracy, has expressed concern over the integrity of the voter register for the 2027 general election.
The coalition, in a statement by Salihu Lukman, said the discovery of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated photographs in the voter register had deepened public concern about the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the polls.
Consequently, it called for an independent forensic audit of the voter register to be concluded before December 15, with the findings published state by state and all culpable officials brought to justice.
The coalition, which is an offshoot of the G-100, consists of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to the statement, the Central Leadership Committee (CLC), consisting of the leadership of the six participating parties, at its meeting on Thursday, also expressed concern that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was allegedly systematically shrinking Nigeria’s democratic space.
“The meeting further warned that, with barely 72 days to the January 16 elections, the conduct of government institutions and security agencies raises serious questions about whether Nigerians will be allowed to freely choose their leaders.
“The Committee noted that in the last 90 days alone, opposition supporters have been attacked in Kaduna, ambushed in Ibadan and attacked in Sokoto and Cross River. Hotels booked for opposition delegates have cancelled reservations, campaign offices have been sealed, and opposition billboards have been pulled down in Edo State while those of the ruling party remain untouched. In the Federal Capital Territory, opposition access to outdoor advertising has reportedly been subjected to charges as high as N750 million.
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“In one particularly disturbing incident, a local government chairman reportedly told residents to vote for the APC or leave their community. The APC is not just trying to win the election. It is trying to decide the conditions under which everybody else must contest it.
“This is what happens when a ruling party begins to confuse its control of government with ownership of democracy. You cannot be a contestant and insist on writing the rules for your opponents,” it stated.
Furthermore, the statement added: “The Committee is alarmed at the discovery of AI-generated photographs in the register, reportedly inserted by INEC’s own registration officers, and the removal of more than 1.27 million records have deepened public concerns about the Commission’s preparedness and credibility.”
The Committee questioned why no official had been publicly identified or prosecuted over the irregularities and why political parties had not been provided with copies of the register for independent scrutiny.
“The credibility of an election begins long before the first ballot is cast. If INEC cannot account for the names on its register, how can Nigerians trust it to account for the votes in its custody? A compromised register today is a compromised election tomorrow. Nigerians deserve answers, not excuses.”
The coalition charged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, to guarantee equal protection for all lawful political activities, in accordance with Section 83 of the Police Act 2020, as well as to make public the outcome of investigations into attacks on opposition supporters in Oyo, Kaduna and Sokoto states.
