The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) must not undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, insisting that voters alone must determine the outcome.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, stated this at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, themed “Safeguarding the 2027 General Elections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
“Algorithms will not, and must never, decide the 2027 vote,” Amupitan said. “The choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people.”
The forum was co-convened by INEC and Yiaga Africa, with participants drawn from electoral bodies, political parties, civil society organisations, the media, security agencies and technology companies.
Amupitan said AI could improve election logistics, result auditing, biometric database management, voter engagement and cybersecurity. However, he warned that deepfakes, synthetic media, misinformation and cyberattacks posed significant threats to electoral integrity.
“The greatest threat we face is not the hacking of a ballot box, but the hacking of the voter’s mind,” he said.
He said the 2027 elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters, 176,846 polling units and 774 local government areas, making the exercise a major administrative undertaking.
According to him, INEC has completed 10 of the 14 major operational milestones stipulated by the Electoral Act 2026. The commission has also procured additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and digitised candidate nominations through its online portal.
Amupitan said INEC had established a specialised AI unit within its Information and Communication Technology Directorate to monitor digital threats and detect deepfakes and information manipulation.
He stressed that critical electoral decisions, including voter accreditation, result collation and candidate qualification, would remain subject to human oversight.
“Human accountability, statutory oversight, and judicial review will remain paramount at every stage of the electoral chain,” he said.
The INEC chairman urged political parties to adopt an Ethical AI Code of Conduct and called on civil society groups to monitor digital campaign spending and algorithmic transparency.
He also urged media organisations to strengthen digital verification, while asking security agencies and the judiciary to build capacity in cybercrime investigations and digital forensics.
Amupitan proposed an Electoral Information Integrity Coalition involving INEC, civil society groups, media organisations, fact-checkers and telecommunications operators to provide early warnings against AI-generated falsehoods.
He maintained that technology must serve democracy rather than control it.
“On election day in 2027, it will be the thumbprint of the Nigerian citizen, guided by their own will and their own hopes, that decides our future,” he said.
