{"id":130579,"date":"2026-11-13T06:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T05:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=130579"},"modified":"2026-11-13T06:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T05:20:15","slug":"inec-sets-nov-28-for-nationwide-mock-election-flags-staff-over-ai-generated-voter-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/inec-sets-nov-28-for-nationwide-mock-election-flags-staff-over-ai-generated-voter-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"INEC Sets Nov 28 for Nationwide Mock Election, Flags Staff Over AI-Generated Voter Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed November 28 for a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise to test its preparedness for the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n

The exercise, designed to simulate a presidential election across the country, will test the commission’s voter accreditation procedures, voting processes and electronic transmission of results.<\/p>\n

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday at a conference organised by Chatham House in London, where he spoke on Nigeria’s democratic trajectory beyond the ballot ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n

He said the exercise would enable the commission to identify operational gaps and ensure that its electoral technology and processes were working effectively ahead of the general elections.<\/p>\n

“On the 28th of this month, we are planning a mock accreditation and voting across all the states in Nigeria, so that we simulate a presidential election and just be sure that we have gotten it right and that there will be transmission of result,” Amupitan said.<\/p>\n

The INEC chairman said the commission had learnt important lessons from the 2023 general elections and subsequent off-cycle elections, including those conducted in Anambra and Osun states.<\/p>\n

He said the experiences had helped INEC identify areas requiring improvement and strengthen its electoral administration.<\/p>\n

“Nigerians must trust me because I’ve done off-cycle elections, and you agreed the last election in Osun State, there was improvement, and I said every election is a lesson. 2023 election was a great lesson for Nigeria. The one we had in Anambra was another,” he said.<\/p>\n

Amupitan said the commission was also working to improve its logistics to ensure that voting and the declaration of results were completed promptly.<\/p>\n

He cited the Anambra governorship election, where INEC declared the winner the following day, as evidence of progress in its operations.<\/p>\n

“We are trying to improve on logistics to ensure that everything is done within the day, and then result. Look at the way we did an Anambra election. By the following day, we declared the result,” he said.<\/p>\n

He also cited the Federal Capital Territory and Osun elections as instances where the commission had improved the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of results.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, INEC has removed artificial intelligence-generated photographs uploaded to the national register of voters and identified officials allegedly involved in the practice across about 10 states for disciplinary action.<\/p>\n

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, disclosed this on Wednesday during a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation.<\/p>\n

The webinar was themed, “AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote.”<\/p>\n

Haruna described the development as one of the challenges confronting the commission ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying investigations had uncovered cases involving its personnel.<\/p>\n

He said the commission had already taken down the affected photographs and commenced measures to address the irregularities.<\/p>\n

“We have already seen one of the challenges, which is that a lot of AI-generated photographs were posted onto the voters’ register, which, as we have said, we have had to take down,” he said.<\/p>\n

Haruna explained that while the commission might find it difficult to prevent members of the public from digitally manipulating their photographs before uploading them, it had the authority to investigate and sanction its personnel found culpable.<\/p>\n

“But the ones involving our own staff, where it is our own staff that did so, that one is within our control. We are in the process of addressing it. They have been flagged,” he added.<\/p>\n

He disclosed that INEC had obtained the names of the affected officials in about 10 states, assuring that they would face disciplinary action.<\/p>\n

“We have their names across about 10 states, and obviously, they are going to face disciplinary action,” Haruna said.<\/p>\n

INEC had earlier announced an investigation into suspicious photographs discovered in the preliminary register of voters, assuring Nigerians that the necessary verification and corrections would be completed before the final register is certified.<\/p>\n

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