Suspected fake photos in voter register: what INEC says happens next

INEC says it is investigating photographs in the preliminary voters' register that people say look computer-generated, after screenshots from Edo State spread widely online. The commission says the list it put online on 26 October is not the final register and that confirmed problems will be corrected before it certifies the final register on 15 December.

The screenshots, first shared on X on the night of 26 October, were said to come from Ward 11 in Etsako West and from Udomi in Esan Central, both in Edo State, The Guardian and Vanguard reported. The post asked who captured the photos and whether voter cards linked to the records had been collected. Other users said they had found duplicate entries carrying their own names and National Identification Numbers but different photographs, or could not find their own names.

In a statement on Tuesday 27 October, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, who chairs INEC's Information and Voter Education Committee, said the online list is the same preliminary register that was displayed at registration areas nationwide from 9 to 15 October, Channels and The Guardian reported. He said several questionable records had already been flagged during that display and were being reviewed, and that the online copy “does not reflect all ongoing data-cleanup activities”.

INEC said it was also examining how the suspicious photographs got into the register, “including possible technical or procedural lapses”, and would act on verified findings. It thanked citizens for their scrutiny and promised further updates as the review goes on.

Opposition voices want more. The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) asked who put the images in the register and alleged it was already inflated, while its chieftain Pat Utomi said public confidence in the process was at stake, The Guardian and Vanguard reported. These are claims by the party and have not been independently verified. The governing APC had not commented publicly on the photos at the time of writing.

Pidgin: INEC talk say e dey investigate some photos for di preliminary voters register wey people say e be like say na computer make dem, after screenshots from Edo State spread for social media. INEC say di list wey e put online for 26 October no be di final one, and e go correct any problem wey e confirm before 15 December.

How this affects you: Check your own entry in the preliminary register on INEC's website. INEC says this list is not final and will be cleaned up before 15 December. If your name, photo or details look wrong, or your name is missing, contact the INEC office in your local government area and ask how it can be corrected. You vote with the final certified register.