Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, and other experts have called for stronger measures to curb artificial intelligence-driven misinformation ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

They made the call at the two-day Beyond the Ballot Summit, which attracted more than 300 participants from electoral institutions, the media, civil society organisations, security agencies and the technology sector.

The summit was organised by the International Press Centre (IPC), the Centre for Media and Society, and DAI, with support from the European Union.

Jega urged INEC to adopt artificial intelligence responsibly, recommending the use of verified chatbots to improve voter education, information verification and public communication.

In her keynote address, Professor Abigael Ogwezzy-Ndisika of the University of Lagos warned that deepfakes, fabricated election result sheets and foreign interference could threaten the credibility of the 2027 elections.

She called for early-warning systems, rapid fact-checking mechanisms and stronger collaboration among relevant institutions, while cautioning against internet shutdowns as a response to misinformation.

IPC Executive Director, Dr Lanre Arogundade, disclosed that findings by the Nigeria Factcheckers’ Coalition showed that 63 per cent of presidential and National Assembly election-related claims reviewed during the 2023 polls were entirely false.

Similarly, digital communication expert Aminu Kajuru advocated preventive public education and the dissemination of electoral information in indigenous languages and Nigerian Pidgin to reach a wider audience.

Participants at the summit called on political parties, journalists, technology companies and citizens to work together to tackle misinformation, stressing that access to credible information and public trust would be critical to ensuring credible elections in 2027.