The Obidient Movement has expressed concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission's plan to deploy Artificial Intelligence in the 2027 election results process. In a statement signed by its Media and Communications Director, Onyeka Dike, the movement demanded that INEC suspends the plan until it publishes a clear and independently auditable framework governing the technology. The group cited concerns over the use of untested electoral technology.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, recently announced the establishment of an AI division within the commission's ICT department. He stated that AI auditing tools would be integrated into the results verification process, with human oversight. However, the Obidient Movement insisted that INEC should first establish clear rules on how the technology would operate. The group also demanded that every result remain traceable to the polling unit and verifiable by political parties, observers, journalists, and citizens.
The Obidient Movement called on INEC to publish Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D, and EC8E on the IReV portal as part of measures to strengthen transparency. The group also criticised Amupitan's warning to media organisations against announcing or declaring results not officially released by INEC. The movement said the warning required greater clarification, particularly as INEC expands its use of technology in the results process.
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum has also warned INEC against relying on Artificial Intelligence tools in the verification and collation of results for the 2027 General Elections. In a statement by its President, Akin Malaolu, the forum described the proposal as a "false formula" capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process. The group expressed concerns that the introduction of AI without adequate safeguards could expose election results to manipulation, hacking, and data poisoning.
Malaolu said the forum became concerned following indications that INEC was considering the deployment of AI tools ahead of the 2027 elections. He linked the development to recent reports by a foreign newspaper claiming that Nigerian voters disliked President Bola Tinubu, as well as the subsequent rejection of the claim by the Presidency. According to him, the sequence of developments had prompted the forum to examine the possible implications of AI-driven election verification for Nigeria's democracy.
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum's major concern is the possibility of AI being deployed in a manner that could undermine existing statutory safeguards for the verification of election results. Malaolu warned that any attempt by INEC to allow AI to replace statutory verification procedures, polling-unit result sheets, BVAS records, or human collation officials could create new vulnerabilities in the electoral system. He questioned the final authority when an AI system flags an anomaly in an election result.
Both groups have requested that INEC reconsider its plan to deploy AI tools in the 2027 election results process. They emphasised the need for transparency, accountability, and public trust in the electoral process. The groups' concerns have sparked a national debate on the use of technology in Nigeria's electoral process.
Key points
- The Obidient Movement and Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum have rejected INEC's plan to deploy AI in the 2027 election results process.
- The groups have demanded that INEC publishes a clear and independently auditable framework governing the technology.
- The introduction of AI without adequate safeguards could expose election results to manipulation, hacking, and data poisoning.
