By Betty KHAZIKE
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned that the growing use of artificial intelligence, AI, to manipulate electoral information poses a serious threat to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the warning on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the two-day national summit on electoral information integrity, tagged Beyond the Ballot: AI, FIMI and the Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections.
Amupitan said the increasing sophistication and accessibility of AI tools had made it easier for individuals and groups to generate convincing fake videos, clone the voices of public figures and impersonate electoral officials to mislead voters.
He warned that the threat extended beyond election-day activities, noting that manipulated information could disrupt every stage of the electoral process, from voter registration and political campaigns to voting, result announcements and post-election disputes.
According to him, “The risks could emerge at different stages of the electoral cycle, from voter registration and political campaigns to voting, announcement of results and post-election dispute resolution.”
The INEC chairman stressed that securing polling units and protecting election materials would no longer be sufficient to guarantee credible elections without protecting the information environment in which citizens receive and interpret electoral information.
“It would also involve protecting the information environment in which voters receive, interpret and share electoral information,” he said.
He therefore called for stronger voter education, digital literacy and technological safeguards, alongside effective mechanisms for detecting and responding to misleading information before it spreads.
Amupitan also advocated closer collaboration among electoral institutions, media organisations, technology companies, security agencies, regulators and civil society groups, stressing that the responsibility for protecting electoral information integrity could not rest with INEC alone.
The commission’s position was also reinforced by the European Union, which warned that electoral manipulation could undermine democracy even without the alteration of a single ballot.
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said the growing threat of information manipulation required stakeholders to establish effective response mechanisms before election-related tensions intensified.
He identified early preparation, operational partnerships and the protection of democratic rights as critical to safeguarding the electoral process, warning that failure to provide timely and credible information could create an environment in which false narratives thrive.
Mignot also stressed the need to ensure that efforts to combat disinformation did not undermine press freedom, freedom of expression and citizens’ participation in the democratic process.
Similarly, former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, called for practical measures to help Nigerians distinguish between authentic electoral information and fabricated content.
Jega proposed the deployment of INEC-backed artificial intelligence chatbots that would provide verified electoral information and enable citizens to authenticate claims circulating on social media.
He said access to reliable information would be essential in limiting the impact of misinformation and strengthening public confidence in the electoral process.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, IPC, Dr Lanre Arogundade, said Nigeria’s experience during the 2023 general elections had exposed the dangers of false claims, social media manipulation and the use of emerging technologies to distort electoral information.
He called for a coordinated response among relevant stakeholders, including the development of a national response protocol that would protect electoral information integrity without compromising fundamental rights.
The summit, organised by the IPC and the Centre for Media and Society, CEMESO, in collaboration with Development Alternatives Incorporated, DAI, and International IDEA, under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria programme, brings together electoral stakeholders, media professionals, technology companies, civil society organisations and development partners.
A major feature of the two-day engagement is a simulation of an AI-driven electoral disinformation crisis, designed to test stakeholders’ preparedness and coordination in responding to information threats before, during and after the 2027 elections.
The summit is expected to facilitate the development of a rights-respecting, multi-stakeholder national response protocol to address emerging threats to electoral information integrity while protecting freedom of expression and citizens’ right to information.
