INEC Launches manhunt for officials across 10 states over AI photo scandal

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has identified officials in about 10 states who uploaded artificial intelligence-generated photographs to Nigeria’s voters’ register. The commission said it had removed the images and would take disciplinary action against the staff involved.

INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna disclosed this on Wednesday, November 11, during a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation titled “AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote”.

Haruna, who chairs INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, described the uploads as one of the challenges the commission had encountered ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We have already seen one of the challenges, which is that a lot of AI-generated photographs were posted onto the voters’ register, which, as we have said, we have had to take down,” he said.

Haruna said it could be difficult for INEC to prevent members of the public from digitally altering their photographs before submitting them. He said the commission could act directly, however, in cases involving its own staff.

“We have their names across about 10 states, and obviously, they are going to face disciplinary action,” he said.

Haruna added that INEC had drafted a policy on the use of AI in the electoral process but had yet to finalise it. He said the technology was evolving quickly, making it difficult even for advanced democracies to develop detailed rules.

The commission has outlined how it intends to use the technology and plans to share the policy with the media and the public once it is finalised, Haruna said.