Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take disciplinary and legal action against officials implicated in alleged manipulation of the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general election.
He also wants the commission to make public the names of companies engaged to produce sensitive election materials, arguing that the identities of such contractors should not be concealed from Nigerians.
Atiku’s position was contained in a statement released on Friday, October 30, by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council.
The controversy surrounding the voters’ register followed the publication of INEC’s preliminary list, which generated complaints about suspected AI-generated photographs, multiple registrations and entries belonging to deceased individuals.
INEC subsequently launched an investigation into the allegations.
Providing an explanation during an appearance on Arise Television on Friday, the commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, said some registration officials had exploited their login details to introduce questionable information into the database.
Although he said INEC had established the method through which some of the irregularities were carried out, he acknowledged that the commission had yet to determine the reasons behind the officers’ actions.
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Atiku, however, questioned the commission’s failure to name those involved, arguing that identifying the method of manipulation without holding the perpetrators accountable was insufficient.
“Professor Joash Amupitan through Boyode Lawrence says INEC knows what its officers did and how they tampered with the register, yet claims it does not know why. That is a disgraceful evasion, not an answer,” he said.
“If INEC knows how the register was compromised, it must disclose the evidence, identify every officer involved and explain why they have not been suspended and prosecuted.”
Atiku further demanded an independent forensic audit of the voters’ register, citing allegations that more than 20 million AI-generated images could have been used.
He urged INEC to secure all voter records, photographic files, access logs and audit trails to enable independent experts, political parties, civil society organisations and international observers to examine them.
The former vice-president also insisted that no disputed voter record should be certified until the proposed audit had been concluded.