Registration officers get hand inside di AI-generated images for voters register - Inec

Di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) don explain why AI-generated images and some irregularities dey for di preliminary voters register wey dem release online.

Nigerians enta social media to allege say voters register wey Inec release dis week get AI-generated images of electorate.

Dem also claim say di list miss some names and odas claim say e double dia names.

Dis na as Inec release di first online list on Monday afta dem drop am for dia office.

But Inec say na di fault of some of di officers wey dey do registration as dem introduce some irregularities into di voters register sake of say dem bin get access to di registration system.

Inec Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, say di AI-generated images and oda tins wey no pure wey pipo bin identify during di display of di preliminary register happun sake of some officers.

For interview wit local media Arise TV on Friday, oga Lawrence say di commission dey review di irregularities and di new register wey go come out go address di problems.

"And dis tin enta di register by di registration officers, becos dem get access to register pipo."

Im explain say no be only for locations wey bin trend for social media di tin affect sake of say oda areas wey pipo no sabi or wey no dey popular for social media dey affected too.

"Wetin we don find out be say some of dis registration officers, no be for only di place we see for social media, some of dem, no be all of dem, some of dem across di states nationwide, dem don do different tins to bring dis irregularities into di register."

Di ICT Director say di commission bin identify how some of di irregularities happun, even though im no explain why di officers get hand inside.

"Wen dem run di ABs for di system, we bin see dis pipo, we know wetin dem do, we know how dem do am, but honestly, I no know why."

Dr Bayode say Inec neva deploy AI for voters registration, even though some AI-generated images show for di preliminary register.

"Even though we neva deploy AI for dis voters registration, but I fit tell you how dis AI-generated photos take enta di register."

Im tok say di commission don already remove di irregularities wey Inec and kontri pipo identify.

Inec say work dey go on to clean up di register bifor dem go finally release am on 15 December.

"I fit assure you say all dis irregularities wey we don see, wey Nigerians don see, we don remove dem from di register."

Di Inec ICT Director also assure Nigerians say di voters register wey dem don clean up go come out bifor 15 December, 2026.

"For di preliminary register, we don add 9 million plus to di 93 million wey we bin use for di 2023 general election."

Im explain say Inec dey use artificial intelligence (AI) for chatbots and logistics support, but dem no dey use am for voters registration.

"So we dey work on am, we dey clean up di register and we believe say di register go come out 15th of December and e go don take care of all dis AI-generated or oda irregularity pictures wey we don also see for di register."

Im add say di commission bin deploy AI chatbots to answer questions and support di movement of election materials.

"Like for logistics, we dey deploy chatbots wia pipo fit ask questions and di AI go respond to dem, deploy am for logistics to make logistics movement easy wen e come to moving materials from one location to di oda."

Inec bin promise to investigate how AI-generated fotos take enta dia voters register as tok-tok pesin Mohammed Kudu Haruna bin tell BBC say dem go chook eye for di mata.

E say, "For di pipo wey tok say dem see AI, I go go meet pipo for di technical department and tell dem wetin you tok.

"First of all, we gatz verify say true-true na AI pictures dey our records and secondly, dem go tell me how dat one happun bifor I carry di informate come give una."

Inec explain say during di physical display dem bin identify some questions about registration records and dem flag am for further examination.

"Di Commission start di process of reviewing dis records and take appropriate corrective action in accordance wit established procedures.

"Di online publication represent di original preliminary register and e no reflect all di ongoing data-cleanup activities."

According to Inec e dey important to emphasise say di preliminary register "no be di final certified register.