Atiku Demands Prosecution Of INEC Officials Over Voter Register Irregularities

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to identify and prosecute officials allegedly responsible for irregularities in the national voter register ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Atiku also challenged the commission to disclose the identities of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials, insisting that Nigerians deserve transparency over preparations for the forthcoming elections.

The former vice-president, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the demands in a statement issued on Friday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.

He was reacting to INEC’s admission that some registration officers across the country introduced irregularities, including suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs, into the voters’ register.

The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, had disclosed during an interview on Arise Television that some registration officers allegedly used their login credentials to introduce questionable records into the database.

Reacting, Atiku faulted the commission for acknowledging the misconduct without identifying those responsible or explaining why they had not been suspended or prosecuted.

He described INEC’s explanation as an attempt to evade accountability, insisting that the commission must disclose the evidence and identify every official involved.

Atiku also called for an independent forensic audit of the voters’ register, citing allegations that more than 20 million AI-generated images could be involved.

He urged INEC to preserve all voter records, image files, access logs and audit trails for examination by independent experts, political parties, civil society organisations and international observers.

He further insisted that no disputed record should be certified until the proposed audit was completed.

On the controversy surrounding companies handling sensitive election materials, Atiku accused INEC of failing to address opposition parties’ demands for transparency.

He called on the commission to publish the identities of the contractors and explain the safeguards governing their operations.

The former vice-president warned that failure to disclose the information could compel him to seek legal intervention.

“If INEC refuses to disclose the truth, we will go to court and compel it. Every official found to have tampered with the register must be prosecuted,” he said.

Atiku maintained that the credibility of the 2027 general elections depended on transparency, accountability and independent scrutiny of the electoral process.