– Demands Forensic Audit Of Voters’ Register, Probe Of Officials

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately sabotaging its preparations for the 2027 general elections, alleging that the Commission’s repeated failures are laying the groundwork for a possible postponement of the polls.

The opposition party said the discovery of AI-generated photographs and fictitious entries in the voters’ register, coupled with INEC’s admission that some of its registration officers were responsible for the irregularities, had raised serious concerns about the Commission’s credibility and intentions.

In a statement on Friday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, questioned why officials allegedly responsible for compromising the register had not been arrested or handed over for prosecution.

“If INEC knows that its own officials compromised the voters’ register with AI-generated photographs, why has nobody been arrested? Why have these individuals not been handed over for prosecution? What exactly is INEC waiting for?” the party asked.

The ADC also faulted INEC for failing to publish the preliminary voters’ register online within the statutory timeframe prescribed by Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires its availability for public scrutiny not later than 90 days before the general election.

It noted that Section 19(5) criminalises the failure of any INEC official to comply with the publication requirement, prescribing a fine, imprisonment or both.

The party questioned how an electoral commission that had at least three years to prepare for the elections could suddenly struggle to produce a credible voters’ register in compliance with the law.

“We are beginning to wonder whether INEC is intentionally trying to make itself incompetent,” it said, asking whether the Commission’s repeated failures should still be dismissed as incompetence or regarded as “deliberate acts of sabotage”.

The ADC further warned that INEC’s alleged disregard for statutory provisions on the voters’ register raised questions about its willingness to comply with other mandatory electoral safeguards on election day, including the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and serialised ballot papers.

“If INEC can disregard the Electoral Act today, what assurance do Nigerians have that it will obey the law on Election Day?” the party queried.

It demanded an independent forensic audit of the voters’ register, the identification and investigation of officials implicated in the irregularities, and a comprehensive public explanation for INEC’s failure to comply with the statutory requirement for publishing the register.

“The 2027 elections cannot be left to the discretion of an electoral umpire that appears increasingly comfortable with breaking its own rules,” the ADC said.

“Nigerians deserve credible elections, not a succession of excuses designed to prepare them for a predetermined outcome.”

– Demands Forensic Audit Of Voters’ Register, Probe Of Officials

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately sabotaging its preparations for the 2027 general elections, alleging that the Commission’s repeated failures are laying the groundwork for a possible postponement of the polls.

The opposition party said the discovery of AI-generated photographs and fictitious entries in the voters’ register, coupled with INEC’s admission that some of its registration officers were responsible for the irregularities, had raised serious concerns about the Commission’s credibility and intentions.

In a statement on Friday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, questioned why officials allegedly responsible for compromising the register had not been arrested or handed over for prosecution.

“If INEC knows that its own officials compromised the voters’ register with AI-generated photographs, why has nobody been arrested? Why have these individuals not been handed over for prosecution? What exactly is INEC waiting for?” the party asked.

The ADC also faulted INEC for failing to publish the preliminary voters’ register online within the statutory timeframe prescribed by Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires its availability for public scrutiny not later than 90 days before the general election.

It noted that Section 19(5) criminalises the failure of any INEC official to comply with the publication requirement, prescribing a fine, imprisonment or both.

The party questioned how an electoral commission that had at least three years to prepare for the elections could suddenly struggle to produce a credible voters’ register in compliance with the law.

“We are beginning to wonder whether INEC is intentionally trying to make itself incompetent,” it said, asking whether the Commission’s repeated failures should still be dismissed as incompetence or regarded as “deliberate acts of sabotage”.

The ADC further warned that INEC’s alleged disregard for statutory provisions on the voters’ register raised questions about its willingness to comply with other mandatory electoral safeguards on election day, including the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and serialised ballot papers.

“If INEC can disregard the Electoral Act today, what assurance do Nigerians have that it will obey the law on Election Day?” the party queried.

It demanded an independent forensic audit of the voters’ register, the identification and investigation of officials implicated in the irregularities, and a comprehensive public explanation for INEC’s failure to comply with the statutory requirement for publishing the register.

“The 2027 elections cannot be left to the discretion of an electoral umpire that appears increasingly comfortable with breaking its own rules,” the ADC said.

“Nigerians deserve credible elections, not a succession of excuses designed to prepare them for a predetermined outcome.”