Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Nigeria Democratic Congress 2027 vice-presidential candidate, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission against manipulating the 2027 elections.

Mr Kwankwaso gave the warning on Wednesday, reacting to suspected AI-generated photographs in the preliminary voter register the commission published online earlier this month.

“I am deeply concerned by reports of suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs and other questionable records in the preliminary register of voters published by the Independent National Electoral Commission,” the politician stated.

Mr Kwankwaso noted that “the allegations raise serious questions about the integrity of our voter registration system and the safeguards in place to protect the credibility of the forthcoming general elections”.

The NDC chieftain charged the electoral commission to clarify the allegations ahead of the 2027 elections.

“With the 2027 elections approaching, INEC must provide Nigerians with clear and convincing answers. How did these suspicious images enter the register? Were the individuals associated with these records genuinely registered? Were the identities properly verified, and could these irregularities have affected the accuracy of the voter register?” he stated.

While welcoming INEC’s decision to investigate the matter, Mr Kwankwaso insisted Nigerians deserved more than assurances. 

He added, “The investigation must be thorough, transparent and independent (outside of INEC’s internal affairs), with its findings made public and any individuals found culpable held accountable in accordance with the law.”

The politician further tasked INEC to conduct a “comprehensive and independent audit of the preliminary register, verify questionable entries, investigate possible duplicate or artificial identities and ensure that no eligible Nigerian is disenfranchised in the process of correcting irregularities”.

“Our democracy cannot afford any compromise in the integrity of the voter register. Every eligible Nigerian must have the right to vote, and every vote must count. Equally, nobody should be allowed to exploit technology, including artificial intelligence, to undermine our electoral system,” Mr Kwankwaso explained.