POLITICAL POLITICS

Elections 2027: INEC Warns Against AI Disinformation

by admin on | 2026-11-03 10:44:56

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Elections 2027: INEC Warns Against AI Disinformation

By Maryam Muhammad 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that artificial intelligence-driven disinformation, deepfakes and digital manipulation pose growing threats to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, raised the concern during the opening of the two-day National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity, themed Beyond the Ballot: National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity: AI, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), and the Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Election.

The summit, was convened by the International Press Centre (IPC), the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) and Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme.

The INEC Chairman warned that manipulated videos, cloned voices, fabricated images and coordinated online campaigns could erode public confidence in democratic institutions.

Amupitan said electoral threats had expanded beyond physical interference and conventional malpractice to include the manipulation of information through digital platforms and artificial intelligence.

He identified synthetic media, voice cloning, deepfakes and automated networks as emerging tools that could mislead voters, damage reputations, incite tensions and cast doubt on legitimate election results.

According to him, these threats could emerge at different stages of the electoral cycle, including voter registration, political campaigns, voting, the announcement of results and post-election dispute resolution.

He stressed that safeguarding the credibility of the 2027 elections would require more than securing polling units and protecting electoral materials.

"It would also involve protecting the information environment in which voters receive, interpret and share electoral information," he said.

The INEC chairman called for stronger voter education and digital literacy, appropriate technological safeguards and effective mechanisms for detecting and responding to misleading information.

He also emphasised the need for closer collaboration among electoral institutions, media organisations, technology companies, security agencies, regulators and civil society groups to tackle emerging information threats.

While speaking, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Dr Lanre Arogundade, said Nigeria's 2023 general elections had exposed the dangers of false claims, social media manipulation and the increasing use of artificial intelligence to distort electoral information.

Arogundade called for a coordinated response involving relevant stakeholders to protect electoral information integrity while respecting fundamental rights.

He advocated a national response protocol and stronger institutional collaboration, describing the proposed Nigeria Electoral Information Integrity Partnership as an important platform for coordinated action.