INEC Director of ICT Dr. Lawrence Bayode Addresses Voter Register Irregularities and AI-Generated Photos on Sunday Politics
Appearing on Channels Television's Sunday Politics, INEC Director of ICT, Dr. Lawrence Bayode, addressed mounting public concern over alleged voter register padding, AI-generated photographs, and irregularities discovered in the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
Dr. Bayode revealed that out of 11.08 million total registrations, the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) flagged 1,545,052 records for unusual patterns or potential irregularities.
Dr. Bayode explained that before releasing the preliminary register, INEC successfully filtered out 1.277 million confirmed invalid records. However, due to severe time constraints, 268,000 suspicious records required manual human adjudication, prompting the commission to release the preliminary register while continuing its cleanup within the statutory 14-day window.
He confirmed that preliminary investigations indicate some registration officials abused their official credentials and system access to input fraudulent entries.
"The ABIS flagged 1,545,052 records... before we released the preliminary register, we were able to confirm that 1,277,252 were confirmed as invalid. We already excluded this number before the register was released." — Dr. Lawrence Bayode, INEC Director of ICT
Deep-Dive Analysis
Key Issues Unpacked on Sunday Politics
The discussion provided an inside look at systemic vulnerabilities, technological safeguards, and administrative accountability within the electoral commission:
- ABIS Flagging and Pre-Release Filtering: Out of 11.08 million entries from the recent CVR, ABIS flagged over 1.5 million records. INEC filtered and removed over 1.27 million invalid records before publication, leaving roughly 268,000 unverifiable entries slated for post-release adjudication.
- Staff Complicity and System Loopholes: Dr. Bayode acknowledged that rogue registration officials used their official login credentials and system access to create fake profiles. Some bad actors exploited the "special registration" loophole—designed for individuals with missing fingers or physical disabilities—to bypass biometric fingerprint requirements.
- AI-Generated Photos and Fake Entries: Addressing viral concerns over AI-generated or blurry photographs, Dr. Bayode clarified that while some images were enhanced by citizens' smartphones during online pre-registration, others were deliberate attempts by bad actors to deceive the system using calendar frames or fake web cameras. He assured the public that these profiles are being systematically purged.
- BVAS Safeguards on Election Day: Reassuring skeptical voters, Dr. Bayode emphasized that even if a fictitious entry mistakenly remains on the final register, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) biometric safeguards (facial and fingerprint verification) will physically prevent unauthorized or non-existent voters from casting ballots.
- Final Register Timeline and Independent Scrutiny: INEC is on track to conclude its comprehensive cleanup, allowing claims and objections before releasing the certified final voter register on December 15. Dr. Bayode confirmed that the commission is open to third-party independent forensic scrutiny of the register.
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