The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct an immediate, independent forensic investigation into reports of suspected Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated photographs and unlawful manipulation of records in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Register of Voters.
In an open letter drafted on Saturday, October 31, 2026, and officially released to the public from its headquarters in Lagos on Sunday, November 1, 2026, SERAP urged President Tinubu to instruct Dr. Vincent Olatunji, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), to assess whether the alterations constitute a personal data breach under Section 65 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The civil society organization’s intervention follows concerns raised during the nationwide physical display of the preliminary Register of Voters conducted by INEC between October 9 and October 15, 2026. Members of the public inspecting the records identified multiple questionable entries, including photographs suspected to have been created using generative AI tools.
Addressing these growing concerns, INEC officially acknowledged receiving complaints regarding questionable registration entries on October 27, 2026, stating that flagged records were undergoing rigorous examination and data cleanup prior to final certification scheduled for December 15, 2026.
Speaking on behalf of SERAP, Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare stressed the critical need for independent scrutiny, emphasizing that the integrity and accuracy of the voter register are indispensable to the effective exercise of the right to vote in genuine elections.
He noted that the reported irregularities raise serious concerns about data security and the overall reliability of the electoral list ahead of the 2027 general elections, adding that failure to address these issues transparently risks undermining public trust in the democratic process.
SERAP requested that the Federal Government and the NDPC publish their findings, establish the geographic distribution of affected records, enforce stronger security safeguards, and hold any complicit individuals or institutions accountable.
Giving the administration a seven-day ultimatum from the receipt of the letter, the advocacy group warned that failure to institute an independent probe will prompt it to pursue legal action against the Federal Government, INEC, and the NDPC to enforce citizens’ data rights and political freedoms.
