The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed concerns over the growing threat of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven disinformation, deepfakes, and digital manipulation to Nigeria's 2027 general elections. INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, stated that emerging digital technologies have created new vulnerabilities for electoral processes. He warned that manipulated videos, cloned voices, fabricated images, and coordinated online campaigns could undermine public trust in democratic institutions.
Amupitan made these remarks at the opening of the Beyond the Ballot: National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity: AI, FIMI and the Integrity of Nigeria's 2027 Election in Abuja. The two-day summit, convened by the International Press Centre (IPC), the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), and Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), aims to address the implications of AI, misinformation, disinformation, and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) for Nigeria's democratic process.
The INEC chairman identified the growing use of synthetic media, voice cloning, deepfakes, and automated networks as potential tools for misleading voters, damaging reputations, inciting tensions, and casting doubt on legitimate electoral outcomes. He stressed that protecting the credibility of the 2027 elections would require more than securing polling units and safeguarding election materials; it would also involve protecting the information environment in which voters receive, interpret, and share electoral information.
Amupitan highlighted the importance of strengthening voter education and digital literacy, deploying appropriate technological safeguards, and developing mechanisms for identifying and responding to misleading information. He also called for stronger collaboration among electoral institutions, media organisations, technology companies, security agencies, regulators, and civil society groups to address emerging information threats.
The Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Dr Lanre Arogundade, noted that Nigeria's 2023 general elections demonstrated the dangers of false claims, social media manipulation, and the growing use of AI to distort electoral information. Arogundade advocated for a coordinated response that would bring relevant stakeholders together to protect the integrity of electoral information without undermining fundamental rights.
A former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, called for practical recommendations to address the growing threats to electoral credibility. Jega proposed the deployment of INEC-backed chatbots that could provide citizens with verified electoral information and help them authenticate claims circulating online. The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, warned that information manipulation was fundamentally an attack on public trust.
The summit aims to facilitate the development of a rights-respecting, multi-stakeholder national response protocol to address electoral information threats. The engagement is also expected to strengthen collaboration among relevant institutions and promote measures that protect electoral integrity while upholding freedom of expression, media freedom, and citizens' right to information.
Key points
- INEC warns of AI-driven disinformation threats to Nigeria's 2027 general elections.
- Summit aims to develop a national response protocol to address electoral information threats.
- Stakeholders stress the importance of collaboration to protect electoral integrity.
