Seun Okinbaloye Warns INEC As Alleged Underage, Double And Ghost Voter Registrations Emerge

Nigerian journalist Seun Okinbaloye has raised concerns over the credibility of the 2027 general elections, alleging that attempts to manipulate the process may already be underway through irregularities in the voters’ register.

Okinbaloye made the remarks on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently review and sanitise the register ahead of the next general elections.

According to the journalist, early indications suggest that some politicians may be exploiting weaknesses in the registration process, with alleged cases of underage registration, multiple registrations and the inclusion of fictitious voters reportedly emerging in different parts of the country.

He called on INEC to conduct a comprehensive audit of the voters’ register and remove invalid entries, including fake names, deceased persons and underage voters.

Okinbaloye warned that Nigerians should not wait until election day before raising concerns about electoral manipulation, arguing that irregularities in the voters’ register could undermine the credibility of the entire electoral process.

He maintained that a flawed register would make it difficult to conduct credible elections, insisting that INEC must take immediate steps to address the alleged problems.

In a related development, former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has demanded that INEC identify the officials responsible for the inclusion of photographs allegedly generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the voters’ register.

Atiku made the demand in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.

The former vice president accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of allowing the electoral commission to avoid scrutiny over the controversy, describing the alleged AI-generated photographs as a serious threat to public confidence in INEC.

He also urged opposition leaders and the international community to press for an independent audit of the voters’ register, full disclosure of those responsible and accountability over the reported irregularities.

The concerns raised by Okinbaloye and Atiku have added to growing calls for greater transparency in the preparation of the voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.