Nigeria's election authority is under scrutiny after AI-generated voter information and identification photos were found on a draft electoral roll for the January presidential vote, raising concerns about the integrity of the vote in Africa's largest democracy. The commission faces calls for an independent inquiry, while a senior official blamed rogue staff.
With just over ten weeks until the election, President Bola Tinubu faces a re-election battle against familiar rivals in a campaign focused on economic and security issues. More than 103 million Nigerians registered to take part, according to INEC, but the commission's numbers and overall preparations have come under intense scrutiny. Advocacy groups, technology analysts and former INEC officials have led calls for an independent inquiry.
INEC said the register is a temporary document open to review for errors and would look into "possible technical or procedural lapses" that allowed the AI intrusions. A senior official blamed rogue staff, saying the commission "doesn't know why" they would use their logins to tamper with the roll.
Analysts have described these responses as unsatisfactory given the gravity of the situation. “INEC wants to make light of it to say that they are doing a cleanup,” Kolawole Oluwadare, a senior official at Lagos-based rights group SERAP, told Semafor. “This goes beyond what INEC can handle in house, which is why we are calling for an audit,” by an external body, he added.
Martin Uwakwe, a US-based technology analyst who reviewed the draft roll, said he found several errors beyond the AI-generated issues, including duplicates and entries for people who had died. He said INEC could use Nigeria's existing identity database to authenticate voter data. “These things are very easy to do but I don't know why we are still having this conversation in 2026,” he said.
Concerns have also been raised about the portable electronic devices that will be used to accredit voters on election day, known as BVAS, which could be manipulated by those with backend access, potentially disenfranchising unwanted voters. “If the people with access are compromised, it becomes an issue,” Uwakwe said.
Nigeria has increased its use of digital technology in each election cycle, but the 2023 vote was marred by widespread BVAS malfunctions, poor cell signals and other system failures that delayed accreditation and results. Only about a third of results were available on INEC's website two days after voting ended, and legal challenges to Tinubu's victory ultimately failed because courts ruled INEC was not required to publish results electronically. Turnout was just 27%, the lowest since the return to democracy in 1999.
Agathus Chibuike Mgbeahuruike, a Nigerian political analyst, wrote for the Center for Democracy and Development that when citizens see elections as flawed, confidence in democratic institutions diminishes, leading to political apathy, protests and even violence.
Joash Amupitan said his agency had embraced the use of AI but warned that bad actors could use the technology to impersonate officials, for example by making false announcements.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The integrity of Nigeria's presidential election is in doubt, with fabricated data potentially undermining public confidence.
- Low voter turnout has plagued Nigerian elections; further distrust could see participation fall even lower.
- If irregularities are not addressed, post-election disputes could lead to protests or violence.
Background
Nigeria has struggled with electoral transparency since its return to democracy in 1999. The 2023 presidential vote saw the lowest turnout in that period, marred by widespread malfunctions of biometric devices and delays in result publication. The growing use of digital technology in elections was meant to improve efficiency but has introduced new vulnerabilities, as the current AI-generated data scandal illustrates.
Key Perspectives
INEC: maintains the register is a temporary document open to correction and blames the incident on rogue staff, without explaining their motives.
Analysts and advocacy groups: including SERAP and technology analyst Martin Uwakwe, argue the problem goes beyond what INEC can handle internally and call for an external audit to restore credibility.
Nigerian political analyst Agathus Chibuike Mgbeahuruike: warns that perceived electoral flaws erode democratic confidence and can lead to apathy, protests, or violence.
What to Watch
- Whether INEC agrees to an independent external audit before the January vote.
- The performance of BVAS electronic accreditation devices on election day, especially after 2023's malfunctions.
- Any further evidence of AI manipulation or insider tampering as the election approaches.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedAI-generated data was found on Nigeria’s voter roll, sparking election-integrity concerns.Semafor: “Nigeria’s election authority is under pressure to address the discovery of AI-generated voter information and ID photos on a draft electoral roll, which has sparked concerns about the integrity of January’s presidential vote”
- SupportedA senior official blamed rogue staff, while analysts and others called for an independent inquiry.Semafor: “Advocacy groups, technology analysts, and former INEC officials have led calls for an independent inquiry to identify how fabricated information came to be included.”
- SupportedMore than 103 million Nigerians registered to take part in the election, according to INEC.Semafor: “More than 103 million Nigerians registered to take part in the poll, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission”
- SupportedINEC said it would look into “possible technical or procedural lapses” that allowed AI intrusions.Semafor: “it would look into “possible technical or procedural lapses ” that allowed AI intrusions.”
- SupportedA senior official said the commission “doesn't know why” staff would use their logins to tamper with the roll.Semafor: “A senior official blamed rogue staff, and said the commission “ doesn’t know why ” they would use their logins to tamper with the roll.”
- SupportedKolawole Oluwadare said INEC was making light of the issue by calling it a cleanup.Semafor: ““INEC wants to make light of it to say that they are doing a cleanup,” Kolawole Oluwadare, a senior official at Lagos-based rights group SERAP, told Semafor.”
- SupportedOluwadare said the issue required an audit by an external body.Semafor: ““This goes beyond what INEC can handle in house, which is why we are calling for an audit” by an external body, he added.”
- SupportedMartin Uwakwe found register errors beyond the AI-generated material, including duplicates and entries for people who had died.Semafor: “Martin Uwakwe, a US-based technology analyst who reviewed the draft roll, found several errors in the register beyond the AI-generated issues, including duplicates and the presence of people who had died.”
- SupportedUwakwe said the conversation about these issues should not still be happening in 2026.Semafor: ““These things are very easy to do but I don’t know why we are still having this conversation in 2026,” he told Semafor.”
- SupportedUwakwe said people with backend access could manipulate BVAS, potentially disenfranchising unwanted voters.Semafor: “the portable electronic devices that will be used to accredit voters on election day (known as BVAS) could be manipulated by those who have access to the back end potentially disenfranchising unwanted voters.”
- SupportedOnly about a third of results could be viewed on INEC’s website two days after voting ended.Semafor: “Only around a third of results could be viewed on INEC’s website two days after voting ended”
- SupportedTurnout in the 2023 election was 27%, the lowest since Nigeria returned to democratic government in 1999.Semafor: “At just 27%, the 2023 vote saw the lowest turnout since the country’s return to democratic government in 1999.”
