Amupitan described the 2027 polls as Africa’s largest democratic exercise and one of the world’s most complex administrative undertakings
By Mmesoma Onwuka
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has warned against the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, insisting that electoral outcomes must reflect the will of the people, not algorithms.
Amupitan gave the warning at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, themed “Safeguarding the 2027 General Elections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
He stressed that technology must support human decision-making, improve institutional efficiency and promote transparency rather than replace human judgment in the electoral process.
According to him, while algorithms can predict patterns, optimise routes and suggest preferences, they lack a conscience, national identity and the right to vote.
The forum, jointly organised by INEC and Yiaga Africa, brought together electoral officials, diplomats, political party representatives, civil society organisations, media executives, security agencies, technology companies, development partners and academics.
Participants included the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions and Chairman of Senegal’s Electoral Commission, Mr Abdoulaye Sylla.
With 92 days remaining before the 2027 general elections, Amupitan said artificial intelligence would significantly shape the information environment, election logistics and strategies employed by both legitimate democratic participants and those seeking to undermine the process.
He explained that although AI would not determine election results, it could influence how voters access information, make electoral choices and interact with election management systems.
Amupitan described the 2027 polls as Africa’s largest democratic exercise and one of the world’s most complex administrative undertakings.
He disclosed that the elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in 774 local government areas, covering presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state assembly contests.
The INEC chairman also revealed that the Commission had completed 10 of the 14 major operational milestones prescribed by the Electoral Act 2026.
He said INEC had procured additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, digitised candidate nominations through its INEC Candidates Nomination Portal (ICNP) and processed more than 15,000 nominations submitted by 22 political parties.
He further noted that the Commission had introduced online voter registration for the first time in Nigeria.
On the potential benefits of AI, Amupitan identified predictive logistics, route optimisation, automated assistance with result audits, biometric database maintenance, multilingual voter engagement and AI-powered cybersecurity as areas where the technology could improve electoral administration.
However, he maintained that critical electoral decisions would remain subject to human oversight, ruling out complete reliance on autonomous systems for voter accreditation, result collation and candidate qualification.
He said human accountability, statutory oversight and judicial review would remain central to the electoral process.
Amupitan identified generative AI, deepfakes, synthetic media, microtargeting, dark advertisements, algorithmic bias and automated cyberattacks as emerging threats to electoral integrity.
He warned that the spread of false information designed to manipulate voters could be as damaging as direct interference with ballot boxes, stressing the need to help citizens distinguish factual information from AI-generated falsehoods.
To address these challenges, he disclosed that INEC had established a specialised AI Unit within its Information and Communication Technology Directorate.
According to him, the unit has access to real-time digital monitoring tools, deepfake detection software and data analytics expertise to identify technical threats and attempts to manipulate information targeting the electoral process.
The INEC chairman also called for coordinated action among political parties, civil society organisations, the media, security agencies and the judiciary to protect the credibility of the 2027 elections.
He urged political parties to adopt an Ethical AI Code of Conduct and encouraged civil society groups to scrutinise algorithmic transparency and monitor digital campaign spending.
He also called on security agencies and judicial institutions to strengthen their capacity for cybercrime investigations and digital forensics.
Media organisations, he said, should establish internal digital forensic desks to verify user-generated content before broadcasting it.
As part of the proposed safeguards, Amupitan advocated the establishment of an Electoral Information Integrity Coalition involving INEC, civil society groups, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Nigeria Fact Checking Coalition, media organisations and telecommunications operators.
He said the coalition would function as an early-warning network to detect and counter viral falsehoods generated or amplified by artificial intelligence.
Reaffirming the importance of citizens in the democratic process, Amupitan referenced Nigerians from different communities and professions, including traders in Aba, farmers in Sokoto, teachers in Ibadan, technology innovators in Lagos, fishermen in Bayelsa and students in Maiduguri.
He maintained that the outcome of the 2027 elections must reflect the choices and aspirations of Nigerian voters, with INEC responsible for ensuring that their voices are not drowned out by technological manipulation.
“The future of democracy must not be determined solely by technological capabilities, but by the decisions of free people through their laws and institutions,” he said in his closing remarks.