By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Independent National Electoral Commission has admitted that its officials tampered with the voter register nationwide using AI-generated photos.

Lawrence Bayode, INEC ICT director, stated this in an interview with ARISE TV on Friday. When asked how AI-generated photos found their way into the register, Mr Bayode said some registration officers across the states caused the irregularities.

“I can tell you how AI-generated photos found their way into the register, “Mr Bayode said. “Number one, you know, we have registration officers on the field, and these registration officers have login details to log into the system. So what we have found out is that some of these registration officers—not all of them now, some of them across the states nationwide—they’ve done different things to bring these irregularities into the register.”

The official disclosed that INEC had begun work to clean up the voter register.

“So, we’re cleaning up; we’re seeing a lot of things, different people doing different things, some of them similar. Some of these pictures are AI-generated, some of them not AI-generated, but very bad registration. This thing got into the register by the registration officers, and because they have access to register people,” Mr Bayode said.

AI-generated photos and several cases of duplication found in the voter register have sparked public uproar and questions about the fidelity of the voter register as Nigerians prepare for general elections scheduled for next year.

To allay public concerns over suspected AI-generated pictures in the preliminary voter register published online earlier this month, INEC admitted the irregularities and said it was investigating.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The candidacies of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Ogun State governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress’s Kano State candidate, Aminu Gwarzo, remain unresolved after their petitions were among 64 rejected by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday.

However, INEC cleared Isa Ali Pantami, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State, to contest the 2027 election.

A source in INEC, who spoke to The PUNCH on Thursday night on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, said Adebutu’s and Gwarzo’s candidacies remained uncertain after the commission reviewed complaints over the final lists of candidates for the 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections. He confirmed that Pantami had been cleared for Gombe State.

On Adebutu, the source said his name was not included in the list because it was not on the candidate list originally submitted to INEC by his party.

“His petition was rejected because his name was not included in the list of candidates originally submitted to INEC by the PDP,” the source said.

On Gwarzo, the source said the deputy governor would have made the list but for an ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court, which barred INEC from publishing his name. He added that Gwarzo’s clearance remained subject to the outcome of litigation over his candidacy.

“He would have scaled through, but unfortunately, there was an ex parte order from the Federal High Court barring INEC from publishing his name. That was the reason he was not cleared,” the source added.

The source said INEC would publish the updated list of candidates for the elections by Friday (today).

INEC had, on October 10, 2026, published the names of presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly candidates on its website. Following that publication, the names of Adebutu, Pantami and Gwarzo, among others, were missing.

In a statement issued on Thursday night and signed by the Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, the commission said it upheld 66 petitions challenging the final lists of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections and rejected 64 others.

The petitions followed the publication of the final candidate lists on October 10, 2026, with complaints bordering on the omission of political parties, the inclusion of candidates whose names were absent from their parties’ membership registers and alleged multiple nominations.

Haruna said the commission reviewed the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions before reaching its decisions.

He said, “Following a review of the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions, the commission found merit in some representations and approved the inclusion of affected candidates and their political parties, while complaints found to be without merit were declined.”

He added that the commission had removed some candidates whose names were wrongfully published after verifying that they were not listed in the membership registers submitted by their political parties.

“The commission also approved the removal of candidates whose nominations were found to be inconsistent with the applicable legal requirements,” the statement said.

According to INEC, 69 petitions were received from 12 political parties across 26 states concerning the governorship election. Of these, 41 were successful, while 28 were rejected.

For the State House of Assembly elections, the commission received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states. Twenty-five petitions were upheld, while 36 were unsuccessful.

The commission said its decisions on State House of Assembly candidates were based on specific complaints received and determined in accordance with the law and its established criteria.

INEC said the affected candidates, political parties and states would be reflected in an updated list to be published on its website. The commission reiterated its commitment to transparency and electoral credibility.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted dust haze and thunderstorms across the country from Friday to Sunday.

NiMet’s weather outlook, released on Thursday, anticipated slight dust haze over most northern areas, with moderate haze over parts of Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi and Kaduna.

The agency predicted isolated thunderstorms with light rain over parts of Taraba on Friday afternoon or evening. For the North-Central region, sunny skies are forecast with patches of clouds during Friday.

Isolated thunderstorms with light rain are expected over parts of Kogi, Kwara, the Federal Capital Territory, and Benue later in the afternoon or evening. Cloudy skies are envisaged across the southern region, with possible light rains over parts of Delta and Bayelsa on Friday morning.

NiMet predicted thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rains over parts of Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti, as well as the South-East and South-South, later on Friday. According to the agency, sunny and hazy conditions are expected across the northern region throughout Saturday.

NiMet predicted sunny skies with patches of clouds over the North-Central region in the morning.

Later in the afternoon or evening, isolated thunderstorms with light rain are expected over parts of Kogi, Kwara, and Benue.

The agency forecast cloudy skies over the southern region in the morning, followed by thunderstorms with moderate rains across most areas later in the day.

For Sunday, NiMet predicted slight dust haze over most northern areas throughout the forecast period. The agency also forecast sunny skies with patches of clouds over the North-Central region throughout Sunday.

NiMet predicted cloudy skies over the southern region during the morning, followed by thunderstorms with light rain over parts of Imo, Abia and Anambra. It also forecast light rains over parts of the South-West and South-South regions later on Sunday.

NiMet advised the public to take precautions against suspended dust particles, particularly people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.

The agency warned that strong winds could precede thunderstorms. It urged residents to secure loose objects to prevent them from being blown away and advised residents to avoid tall trees to reduce the risk of injuries from falling branches and broken trees.

The agency urged the public to disconnect electrical appliances from power sockets during thunderstorms.

“Airline operators are advised to obtain airport-specific weather reports (flight documentation) from NiMet for effective planning of their operations. Residents are to stay informed through weather updates on NiMet’s website,” it said.