Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to identify and prosecute officials allegedly responsible for irregularities in the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general election.
Atiku also urged the electoral body to disclose the companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials, insisting that greater transparency was necessary to protect the credibility of the forthcoming polls.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate made the demands in a statement issued on Friday by Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communication of the party’s presidential campaign council.
His reaction followed INEC’s admission that some of its registration officers had manipulated the voters’ database using their official login credentials.
The commission came under scrutiny after its preliminary voters’ register was released, with members of the public raising concerns over suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs, duplicate registrations and entries belonging to deceased persons.
Speaking on Arise Television on Friday, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, said the commission had established how some of the questionable records were introduced into the database but could not determine the reasons behind the actions of the officers involved.
Atiku criticised the explanation, questioning why the commission had not revealed the identities of the officials or taken disciplinary action against them.
He called for an independent forensic examination of the voters’ register, citing allegations that more than 20 million AI-generated images could be linked to the discrepancies.
He further asked INEC to preserve all voter records, photographs, system access logs and audit trails to allow independent experts, political parties, civil society groups and international observers to examine the database.
According to him, the commission should not validate any disputed registration record until the proposed audit has been concluded.
The former vice-president also renewed calls for INEC to reveal the identities of contractors engaged to produce sensitive election materials and explain the measures put in place to monitor their activities.
Atiku warned that failure to provide the requested information could lead to legal action to compel the commission to release the details.
He maintained that electoral officials found guilty of manipulating the register must face prosecution, adding that public confidence in the 2027 general election depended on how INEC addressed the allegations.
