The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that the growing use of Artificial Intelligence-generated disinformation could pose a major threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
The commission said the credibility of the electoral process now depends not only on the integrity of ballots, BVAS and result sheets, but also on whether voters can trust and properly understand information about the election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, raised the concern on Wednesday through National Commissioner Sani Adams (SAN) at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) in Abuja.
The conference was held under the theme, “Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication.”
Amupitan said the introduction of technologies such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) was intended to strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s elections.
According to him, the systems were designed to allow citizens to view polling unit results and reduce opportunities for manipulation during the collation process.
However, he acknowledged that the experience of the 2023 general election showed how technological challenges could also generate public distrust.
He stressed that electoral legitimacy depends on systems working reliably, being properly understood by citizens and having shortcomings communicated transparently when they occur.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission is conducting a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems ahead of the 2027 polls.
The audit will cover areas including system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery planning.
INEC is also considering a mock presidential election to test its technological systems under conditions similar to an actual election day.
The proposed exercise would allow the commission to assess voter accreditation, electronic transmission and the public viewing of results before the 2027 election.
Amupitan said advances in generative AI had made it cheaper and increasingly difficult to identify manipulated videos, audio recordings and images.
He cited documented instances of fabricated political content circulating during recent elections in West and East Africa, including manipulated material associated with Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
According to him, AI-generated content could reach millions of social media users before fact-checkers or electoral authorities are able to verify it.
He warned that the problem extends beyond completely fabricated material.
Algorithmic microtargeting, he said, could allow different groups of voters to receive conflicting political messages, making it difficult for citizens to operate from a common factual understanding of an election.
The commission is also preparing to replace accreditation devices that were lost or damaged during the previous electoral cycle.
Amupitan said INEC had proposed a substantial budget containing significant allocations for technology and election operations.
Although the full release of the funds is still being awaited, he said the commission’s ICT team had already begun engaging manufacturers over procurement.
He added that preparations for the technology audit and proposed mock election were continuing alongside the budget process.
Amupitan outlined several measures INEC intends to pursue in responding to the growing threat of election-related disinformation.
The approach includes integrating technology planning with communication strategies and establishing a rapid-response mechanism capable of addressing false information within the same news cycle.
The commission also plans to communicate proactively about known technological vulnerabilities and explain the safeguards being put in place.
INEC further intends to deepen collaboration with media scholars, fact-checkers and technology platforms while investing in public media literacy.
Amupitan commended the commission’s collaboration with international partners on cybersecurity and system resilience.
He also invited communication scholars to work with INEC on research into media literacy, synthetic content detection and training for journalists and civic educators.
The INEC chairman said Nigeria’s 2027 electorate would be younger and more dependent on digital platforms than previous electorates.
He described the smartphone as likely to be the primary window through which many Nigerians experience the election.
However, he cautioned against simply copying technological solutions used in other countries.
According to him, Nigeria’s electoral response must take into account the country’s internet access challenges, language diversity and varying levels of institutional trust.
He stressed that INEC’s response to disinformation would be to provide citizens with accurate information quickly rather than restrict legitimate journalism or civic dissent.
The commission expressed optimism that the ACSPN conference would produce more than academic discussions and lead to sustained collaboration between communication scholars and INEC.
Such collaboration, according to the commission, could strengthen research into emerging digital threats while improving the ability of journalists and voters to identify manipulated content.
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As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general election, INEC said it remained committed to improving both its electoral technology and transparency.
The commission’s warning highlights the growing challenge facing electoral institutions as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible and capable of producing convincing political content.
With millions of Nigerians expected to consume election-related information primarily through digital platforms, the ability to detect and rapidly counter false information could become a crucial part of maintaining public confidence in the 2027 polls.
