The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned that the growing misuse of generative artificial intelligence to produce manipulated audio, video and images poses an increasingly immediate threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 General Elections.
The Commission said the danger was no longer a theoretical concern, as AI tools were making it cheaper and more difficult to detect fabricated content and enabling the creation of highly targeted messages capable of exposing different groups of voters to conflicting narratives.
National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, IVEC, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, gave the warning on Monday in Abuja while declaring open a capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers, PAOs, drawn from states across the country.
Haruna said generative AI had significantly lowered the barriers to producing deceptive content, stressing that its misuse could go beyond fabricated images, videos and audio to targeted messaging designed to manipulate perceptions and deepen divisions among voters.
He recalled that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had recently warned that electoral credibility no longer depended solely on ballot papers, BVAS machines and result sheets, but also on the information environment in which voters formed their judgments.
According to Haruna, Amupitan had consequently called for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated “not as separate concerns but as a single discipline.”
He said the workshop, themed “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027,” was designed as a direct response to the emerging information challenges.
Haruna described PAOs as the frontline communicators of INEC at the state level, stressing that the credibility of the Commission’s public communication depended substantially on their work.
He said the training would equip participants with practical skills in verification, escalation procedures and clear and consistent messaging, which would be critical as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
The Commissioner commended the Voter Education and Publicity Department for designing a practical and skills-based programme focused on the realities confronting electoral communication at the state level.
Earlier, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said PAOs played a critical role in shaping Nigerians’ perception of INEC and the reliability of information released by the Commission.
She said INEC operated under constant public scrutiny and frequently faced attempts to misrepresent its activities and undermine public confidence in its work.
Eta-Messi disclosed that the workshop was not a one-off intervention, noting that further capacity-building programmes were already at an advanced stage of planning with support from development partners.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Information and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the training was aimed at strengthening the practical communication skills required by PAOs ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the programme would address escalation lines among PAOs, Heads of Department, the Voter Education and Publicity Department and Resident Electoral Commissioners, while improving consistency in press statements, talking points and social media communication.
Ifogah added that participants would also be trained to monitor the information ecosystem, respond to misinformation and disinformation, and understand the responsible use of AI in communication, including its applications, limitations and safeguards around confidentiality and verification.
He said the ultimate objective was to ensure that every INEC Public Affairs Officer understood and applied the standards of accuracy, consistency and professionalism required of the Commission as the country approaches the 2027 General Elections.
