Nigeria’s electoral umpire has shut a door that fraudsters appear to have walked through. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has banned web cameras in voter registration and ordered a switch to app-based cameras, following the discovery of suspected AI-generated photographs in the preliminary voter register.
What INEC Announced
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan made the announcement at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, 9 November 2026. He said he had directed the commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology to stop using web cameras and adopt an app-based camera instead.
The logic is simple. With the new setup, only pictures captured directly within the registration app will be accepted. Amupitan said this would stop people from importing photos from outside the system through web links.
How the AI Photos Got In
The ban follows weeks of public outrage. In late October, suspicious voter photos, duplicate registrations and missing details surfaced online, and INEC confirmed it was examining the images. Reports indicate the commission has since flagged 268 records over suspected AI-generated photographs, using its biometric verification system.
INEC’s explanation points to people, not technology. The commission says some registration officers misused their access to the database. Amupitan said INEC had traced the access points involved and that a single compromised password can be enough to open the door. He also noted that some access had been granted by authorised persons.
INEC has been firm that it has not deployed AI in voter registration. The suspected synthetic images, it says, were introduced by those with access to the system.
Consequences for Staff Involved
The chairman said INEC staff found to be involved will face administrative or internal disciplinary action. Where a crime has been committed, they will be handed to law enforcement for prosecution. He added that security agencies are running their own investigations and that he has the list of those involved.
A New AI Governance Framework
On the same day, the commission approved an AI governance framework to guide responsible use of the technology. Amupitan said it was developed with international partners and reviewed by peers, and that it builds on an AI policy the commission approved in 2025. INEC also considered the regional protocol on the subject in drafting it.
Why It Matters Ahead of 2027
The stakes are high. INEC manages more than 100 million registered voters, and the register is the foundation of every election result. Amupitan pointed to the legal window for complaints, objections and claims as the process meant to expose errors like these. He called the recent incidents an early warning and said further security measures are being taken, some of which he declined to disclose.
A camera ban closes one route, but the chairman’s own account shows the bigger weakness is access control. Whether passwords, permissions and audit trails are tightened will matter as much as the new camera app.
