Human Rights
Utomi Flags Alleged AI-Generated Images in INEC Voter Register, Warns Democracy at Stake
By Joseph Sunday
Political economist and public intellectual, Prof. Pat Utomi, has warned that Nigeria’s democracy is at stake after flagging alleged Artificial Intelligence-generated images discovered in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) voter register.
Utomi’s intervention followed screenshots shared online by a social media user identified as Decosule, who called on INEC to explain what he described as AI-generated photographs appearing in voter records on the commission’s portal.
The images in circulation, including entries identified as EDENOJIE JETTERY (INC24568), EDIALE WILLIAM (INC25925), EDIZE FELIX (90F59758) and EDOHE JOHN (INC28244), were marked with an “AI” detection label and facial grid overlay, suggesting the photographs may not be of real persons.
The screenshots were purportedly taken from polling units in Ward 11, Uzairue South-East, Etsako West LGA of Edo State, and from Udomi in Esan Central LGA.
Reacting on his verified Facebook and X pages on Monday, October 27, 2026, Utomi said INEC could not afford to be careless with the credibility of the electoral process.
“INEC cannot afford to be careless with the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process. The presence of AI-generated images in a register meant to support our democracy raises serious questions about verification, transparency and accountability. Our democracy is at stake here!” he wrote.
Decosule, whose post triggered the debate, asked INEC to clarify how the images entered the register, who conducted the registration and image-capturing process, and whether Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) linked to the entries had been collected.
The controversy comes as INEC announced on October 26 that it would publish the register online at display.inecnigeria.org, after conducting a physical display at registration areas nationwide between October 9 and 15.
The commission said the online publication was to enhance transparency and allow for claims and objections ahead of certification of the final register on December 15, 2026.
INEC, which has reported over 103 million registered voters and 10.7 million new registrations from its Continuous Voter Registration exercise, is yet to issue an official response to the specific allegations.
However, as observers have noted, the screenshots alone do not independently establish that the images were generated using AI or prove that irregularities occurred during registration. Independent technical verification is required to determine whether the images are synthetic, the result of image-processing errors, poor-quality capture, or incorrect association between photographs and records.
Civil society and opposition voices have joined Utomi in demanding that INEC explain its verification procedures, biometric deduplication processes and safeguards against emerging digital manipulation, with the commission having previously announced an AI unit to monitor deepfakes ahead of the 2027 general elections.