2027: INEC Warns Against AI Manipulation, Says Nigerians Will Decide Election
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned against the misuse of artificial intelligence ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying Nigerians, not algorithms, will determine who emerges as the country’s next president and other elected leaders.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the assurance on Wednesday while delivering a keynote address at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja.
The two-day forum, organised in partnership with Yiaga Africa and other technology, media and democracy organisations, is themed Safeguarding the 2027 General Elections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.
Speaking during a plenary session on whether algorithms would decide the 2027 vote, Amupitan said the decision on who governs Nigeria must remain with the electorate.
“Algorithms will not, and must never, decide the 2027 vote,” he said, according to reports of his address published by Nigerian media organisations.
He acknowledged, however, that AI would influence the information available to voters, the administration of elections and the methods used by individuals seeking to manipulate the electoral process.
The INEC chairman warned that generative AI had made it easier to produce fabricated videos, audio recordings and images that could falsely portray candidates and public officials as making statements they never made.
Such material, he said, could mislead voters before fact-checkers and relevant authorities could establish the truth.
Fabricated content could also be used to announce a false withdrawal by a candidate, circulate incorrect information about changes to election dates or impersonate INEC officials to distribute fake electoral guidelines and results.
Amupitan stressed that the commission would not surrender critical electoral decisions to autonomous systems.
He said result collation, voter accreditation and the determination of candidates’ qualifications would not be fully automated or delegated to AI systems.
Human accountability, statutory oversight and judicial review, he added, would remain central to the electoral process.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC had established an Artificial Intelligence Unit within its Information and Communication Technology Directorate to monitor digital threats and identify attempts to manipulate electoral information.
According to reports of his address, the unit has digital monitoring tools, deepfake detection software and data analytics capabilities.
The commission is also developing a digital strategy to assess the electoral information environment and working with technology platforms to address AI-generated falsehoods.
The chairman said AI could help the commission improve election logistics, analyse traffic and weather conditions, plan the deployment of election personnel and materials, and identify inconsistencies in uploaded polling-unit results.
He also identified possible applications in voter registration, database management, voter education in indigenous languages and cybersecurity.
These applications, he said, would support rather than replace existing electoral procedures and human supervision.
INEC’s proposed use of AI comes amid growing concerns about the circulation of manipulated political content on social media and the possibility that voters could be exposed to fabricated information presented as genuine news or official communication.
Amupitan described the 2027 elections as a major logistical undertaking, with the commission preparing to manage more than 100 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in 774 local government areas.
The scale of the exercise presents challenges involving the deployment of personnel and sensitive materials, particularly in remote communities and areas affected by insecurity.
AI-assisted planning could help INEC identify suitable routes, anticipate logistical problems and improve the distribution of election materials.
The chairman also said the technology could assist in identifying anomalies in uploaded polling-unit results and detecting duplicate biometric records in the voters’ register.
However, the use of such systems would require safeguards to prevent errors, unfair outcomes and unauthorised interference with electoral data.
The commission’s assurance that critical decisions will remain subject to human oversight is therefore important as it expands its use of digital tools.
Amupitan called on political parties to adopt an ethical code of conduct governing their use of AI during the election campaign.
He also urged technology companies to address the circulation of synthetic media that impersonates candidates and electoral officials, including content distributed without appropriate disclosure.
Media organisations were encouraged to strengthen their capacity to verify digital content before publication or broadcast.
The chairman further proposed an Electoral Information Integrity Coalition involving INEC, civil society organisations, media representatives and telecommunications operators.
The proposed coalition would serve as an early-warning network for detecting and responding to AI-generated electoral misinformation.
He also called on security agencies and judicial officers to strengthen their capacity to investigate election-related cybercrime and examine digital evidence.
The forum brought together electoral officials, political parties, civil society organisations, technology companies, security agencies, media representatives and international development partners to discuss ways to protect Nigeria’s electoral process from AI-related threats.
While the commission says technology can improve election administration, the challenge ahead will be ensuring that its deployment remains transparent, secure and subject to effective oversight as political parties prepare for the 2027 polls.
