The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that artificial intelligence-driven disinformation could undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, urging closer integration of electoral technology and public communication.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, also disclosed that the commission was conducting a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems and considering a mock presidential election to test its preparedness for the polls.
Amupitan spoke on Wednesday in Abuja in a keynote address delivered on his behalf by National Commissioner Sani Adam, SAN, at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria. The conference focused on media, technology and elections in Africa.
According to a statement signed by INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, Amupitan said public confidence in elections depended not only on the integrity of the ballot, BVAS and result sheets, but also on how electoral information was communicated and understood.
He said the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing Portal was aimed at improving transparency by allowing citizens to view polling-unit results before they are transmitted to collation centres. However, he acknowledged that the 2023 election showed how technology could fuel public distrust when systems failed to perform as expected.
On preparations for 2027, Amupitan said INEC was reviewing its systems, including redundancy measures, penetration testing and disaster-recovery plans. The proposed mock presidential election would test voter accreditation, result transmission and result viewing under conditions similar to election day.
The INEC chairman also raised concerns over generative AI, which can produce convincing synthetic audio, video and images. He warned that manipulated political content, combined with algorithmic microtargeting, could spread rapidly and expose voters to conflicting messages before authorities or fact-checkers can respond.
“The danger lies not only in outright fabrication but also in algorithmic microtargeting, which allows conflicting messages to reach narrow segments of the electorate without a shared factual foundation,” he said.
Amupitan said INEC had proposed substantial funding for technology and election operations, including new accreditation devices to replace equipment lost or damaged during the previous election cycle. He said the commission was awaiting the full release of funds while its ICT team had begun discussions with manufacturers.
He outlined a five-point strategy involving closer integration of technology and communication planning, rapid responses to false information, transparent communication about system vulnerabilities, stronger collaboration with media and technology stakeholders, and continuous investment in public media literacy. He said INEC could no longer treat technology and communication as separate aspects of election management.
