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African Democratic Congress ( ADC) presidential candidate, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) must name its officials responsible for the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated photographs in the voter register.
Atiku, in a statement by the Director, Strategic Communication, ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, said INEC admission that AI generated images and other irregularities entered the voter register through its registration officers, is a scandal that strikes at the heart of the Commission’s credibility.
The former Vice President charged opposition leaders and the international community to demand an independent audit, full disclosure and accountability on the voter register scandal.
The ADC candidate, while accusing the President Bola Tinubu administration of allegedly enabling the crisis by allowing INEC to evade scrutiny, stated that the electoral umpire has no right to demand trust while shielding those responsible for the infraction.
“INEC has admitted that some AI generated images are on the voter register and that registration officers introduced irregularities across the country. The Commission charged with protecting Nigerians’ votes has acknowledged that its own system was abused by those entrusted to operate it. This is a catastrophic failure of leadership and safeguards.
“Professor Joash Amupitan through Boyode Lawrence says INEC knows what its officers did and how they tampered with the register, yet claims it does not know why. That is a disgraceful evasion, not an answer. Even ordinary WhatsApp, Facebook and email accounts appear to have stronger security safeguards than those INEC’s ICT director described on national television. How can the database holding the votes of millions of Nigerians be less secure than a personal social media account?
“If INEC knows how the register was compromised, it must disclose the evidence, identify every officer involved and explain why they have not been suspended and prosecuted. Amupitan cannot admit the misconduct, withhold the perpetrators’ identities and expect Nigerians to accept ignorance as an excuse. He must account for this failure now,” Atiku stated.
Furthermore, he stated that INEC must not quietly ‘clean up’ the voter register and bury the evidence, noting that allegations that more than 20 million AI generated images may be involved demands an independent forensic audit.
The ADC candidate said “preserve every voter record, image file, access log and audit trail. Let accredited independent experts, political parties, civil society and credible international observers examine the evidence. No disputed record should be certified until the audit is complete.
“INEC has also ignored opposition parties’ demand to disclose the companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials. That secrecy is incompatible with a credible election. If the APC government knows who is handling these materials and what protocols apply, opposition parties must receive the same information. Publish the contractors’ identities and explain the safeguards governing their work.
“If INEC refuses to disclose the truth, we will go to court and compel it. Every official found to have tampered with the register must be prosecuted.”
“INEC has no right to demand trust while concealing evidence and shielding those responsible. Name the culprits, expose the contractors and submit the register and election materials to independent scrutiny. Until then, its assurances are worthless. The credibility of the 2027 election is on the line.”
