By Toyin Victor-Abuja
Deepfakes, fabricated political content and AI-generated misinformation are emerging as threats to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, with concerns growing over how digital manipulation could influence voters and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, raised the concerns on Wednesday in Abuja at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026, jointly convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission and Yiaga Africa under the theme, “Safeguarding the 2027 General Elections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Amupitan warned that although algorithms could predict patterns and suggest preferences, they must never determine electoral outcomes. He insisted that the power to decide who governs Nigeria rests with voters, not automated systems.
He said artificial intelligence could reshape the information available to citizens, influence election logistics and change the tactics used by individuals or groups seeking to manipulate or disrupt the democratic process.
The INEC chairman identified generative AI, deepfakes, synthetic media, targeted political advertising, algorithmic bias and automated cyberattacks as potential threats to the credibility of the 2027 elections.
However, he said AI could also improve election administration through better logistics and route planning, result auditing, biometric database management, multilingual voter engagement and stronger cybersecurity, provided its use remains subject to human oversight.
On preparations for the polls, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had completed 10 of its 14 major operational milestones under the Electoral Act 2026. He also cited the acquisition of additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, digital candidate nominations and the processing of more than 15,000 nominations across 22 political parties.
The 2027 elections will involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in 774 local government areas, covering presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state Houses of Assembly contests. Amupitan said voter accreditation, result collation and candidate qualification would not be fully automated or delegated to autonomous systems.
He maintained that human accountability, statutory oversight and judicial review must remain central to the electoral process. The forum brought together electoral officials, political parties, civil society organisations, media executives, security agencies, technology companies and international development partners to examine safeguards against AI-related electoral threats.