# AI-generated data found on Nigeria’s draft voter roll

> Analysts say Nigeria’s electoral commission should face an outside audit after AI-generated data and other errors were found in a draft register.

Oossa · 2026-11-04 · https://oossa.com/en/ai-generated-data-found-on-nigeria-s-draft-voter-roll

AI-generated data has been found on Nigeria’s draft voter register, raising questions about how the electoral commission checks entries. Kolawole Oluwadare, a senior official at the rights group SERAP, told Semafor that INEC’s response—describing its work as a cleanup—does not address the seriousness of the problem. He called for an audit by an outside body, saying the commission should not handle the matter alone.

Martin Uwakwe, a US-based technology analyst who reviewed the draft roll, found other errors too: duplicate entries and records for people who had died. He said Nigeria’s existing identity database could help verify voter information. The details reported do not give the number of AI-generated entries or explain what kinds of data they contained, so the scale of the issue is unclear.

## Why the register matters

Nigeria has increased its use of digital tools in elections, including biometric checks, to improve transparency and efficiency. Voters’ names and details on the register are a basic part of that process: errors can affect who is able to vote, while concerns about manipulated data may make people doubt the reported result.

One tool, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), uses portable electronic devices to accredit voters on election day. Uwakwe warned that someone with access to the system’s back end could manipulate the devices and potentially prevent unwanted voters from being accredited. He described a risk, not a confirmed incident, and said the danger depends on whether people with that access are compromised.

## What analysts want checked

Oluwadare says an external audit is needed because, in his view, the problem goes beyond what INEC can resolve in-house. Uwakwe’s proposed check is to compare voter information with the national identity database. Together, those suggestions point to two different concerns: an independent review of the register and a way to verify individual records. The information reported does not say whether INEC will adopt either step.

## The facts

- AI-generated data was found on Nigeria’s draft voter register, according to Semafor.
- SERAP official Kolawole Oluwadare called for an audit by an outside body.
- Analyst Martin Uwakwe found duplicate entries and records for deceased people in the draft roll.
- Uwakwe said Nigeria’s existing identity database could help verify voter information.
- Uwakwe warned that compromised access to BVAS’s back end could enable voter accreditation devices to be manipulated.

## Why it matters

For Nigerian voters, errors in the register could affect who gets accredited to vote, and doubts about the data could weaken confidence in election results. An outside audit and identity checks have been proposed, but it is not clear whether INEC will carry them out; the warning about BVAS is a risk, not evidence of actual manipulation.

## Sources & references

1. [AI-generated data found on Nigeria voter roll](https://www.semafor.com/article/11/04/2026/ai-generated-data-found-on-nigeria-voter-roll) – Semafor, 2026-11-04

Last updated: 2026-11-04