As Nigeria gradually moves towards the 2027 general elections, attention is increasingly shifting to political alignments, party primaries, campaign strategies and the familiar contest for power.
Yet, beyond these conventional electoral concerns, another threat is emerging that deserves equal attention: the growing capacity of artificial intelligence, AI, to manipulate information and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
The emergence of AI has fundamentally changed how information is created, distributed and consumed. While the technology offers enormous opportunities, its misuse, particularly through fabricated videos, manipulated audio recordings and deliberately misleading content, poses a serious challenge to democratic participation.
Nigeria must look beyond the question of who will win the 2027 elections and pay closer attention to the integrity of the information shaping voters’ decisions.
An election is only as credible as the environment in which voters make their choices. Protecting that environment from manipulation must therefore become an essential part of the country’s electoral preparations.
With readily accessible digital tools, it is now possible to generate convincing images, clone voices and produce fabricated videos that ordinary people may struggle to differentiate from authentic material.
A fabricated video of a presidential candidate making an inflammatory statement, an audio recording falsely attributed to an electoral official or a manipulated announcement suggesting the postponement of voting could spread rapidly across social media before the truth has an opportunity to catch up.
The consequences could be far-reaching. Disinformation can influence voters’ perceptions of candidates, deepen political and religious divisions, discourage participation and create unnecessary tension. More concerning is the possibility that genuine electoral information, including authentic results and official announcements, could be dismissed as fabricated.
The danger, therefore, is not merely that Nigerians may believe falsehoods, but that they may gradually lose confidence in information itself. This could have serious implications for the acceptance of electoral outcomes and democratic stability.
Nigeria is not unfamiliar with the dangers of misinformation during elections. The 2023 general elections demonstrated how quickly partisan narratives, unverified claims and disputed information could dominate public conversations, particularly on social media.
Advances in generative AI have since introduced a more sophisticated dimension to the challenge, making it easier to manufacture convincing falsehoods. The 2027 elections could therefore present an information challenge that electoral stakeholders must begin preparing for now.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, appears to recognise this emerging threat and so it announced the establishment of an artificial intelligence unit to monitor digital threats and detect deepfakes ahead of the 2027 elections.
These are welcome steps, but we believe recognising a threat and developing the capacity to confront it are two different things. INEC must demonstrate that its preparations go beyond announcements and translate into practical, adequately resourced safeguard.
The responsibility of protecting electoral information cannot rest with INEC alone. Political parties and their candidates must recognise that the pursuit of electoral victory should not come at the expense of democratic integrity. The deployment of fabricated content, manipulated recordings and coordinated online attacks against political opponents must be resisted.
Political parties should commit publicly to responsible digital campaigning and take responsibility for the conduct of their supporters and communication teams. Any party seeking the mandate of Nigerians must respect their right to make electoral choices based on truthful information.
The National Assembly also has an important role to play. We suggest that lawmakers examine the adequacy of existing legal provisions in addressing AI-generated electoral disinformation, particularly where it is deliberately deployed to impersonate public institutions, incite violence or suppress voter participation.
The media, too, must recognise that its responsibilities are becoming more demanding. As the 2027 elections approach, news organisations will face increasing pressure to publish breaking political developments, viral videos and sensational claims.
Prioritising speed over accuracy could have serious consequences. A fabricated recording published by a reputable newspaper or broadcast organisation may acquire undeserved credibility issues and cause damage that is difficult to reverse, even after a correction.
We therefore urge media organisations to strengthen their fact-checking and digital verification capacities, invest in journalists’ training and ensure that editorial decisions are guided by evidence rather than the pressure to generate online engagement.
Technology companies and social media platforms must equally accept greater responsibility for information circulated through their services. We believe platforms operating in Nigeria should work more closely with electoral authorities, credible fact-checking organisations and civil society groups to identify coordinated disinformation campaigns, improve transparency around political advertising and provide accessible mechanisms for reporting manipulated content.
Such cooperation must, however, respect users’ rights and guard against arbitrary content suppression.
Perhaps most importantly, Nigerian citizens must become more discerning consumers of digital information. The fight against disinformation cannot be won entirely through government regulation or media vigilance. Citizens themselves have a responsibility to question the authenticity of information before accepting or circulating it.
Ultimately, the credibility of the 2027 general elections will depend on more than the efficiency of voting arrangements, the deployment of electoral technology or the eventual announcement of results. It will also depend on whether Nigerians can trust the information surrounding the process, whether political actors conduct themselves responsibly and whether institutions are prepared to confront deliberate attempts to mislead the electorate.
An election may be conducted peacefully at polling units, yet its credibility can still be undermined by fabricated evidence and coordinated falsehoods.
As preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum, we urge INEC, the National Assembly, political parties, media organisations, technology companies and civil society groups to treat electoral information integrity as an essential component of democratic preparedness.
The time to establish safeguards, strengthen institutional capacity and educate citizens is now, not when false narratives have already overwhelmed the public space.
