The Obidient Movement has expressed concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission's plan to deploy Artificial Intelligence in the 2027 general elections. National Coordinator of the movement, Yunusa Tanko, issued a statement in Abuja, warning INEC against implementing the plan without addressing unresolved problems surrounding electoral transparency, result transmission, and credibility of the commission's processes.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, had disclosed that the commission had begun deploying AI tools to detect discrepancies and administrative errors in election results. The tools are also aimed at strengthening the commission's defenses against AI-generated disinformation. Amupitan made this disclosure at the 24th All Nigeria Editors Conference in Enugu, highlighting the growing threat of AI-generated disinformation to elections.
Tanko rejected INEC's proposed deployment of AI, arguing that the commission had yet to explain how the technology would work and what problems it was intended to solve. He also cited a recent investigation by Mundx Analytics, which found that presidential results from over 50,000 polling units were uploaded from people's phones. This, he said, raised concerns about the commission's ability to ensure credible elections.
The Obidient Movement demanded that INEC publish its comprehensive 2027 election plan, including technologies, procedures, and safeguards it intends to deploy. The movement also called for an independent audit of the commission's electoral technology and public disclosure of the findings and corrective measures. Tanko emphasized the need for transparent and verifiable result transmission.
Tanko urged INEC to explain its proposed use of AI and subject the technology to independent testing and public scrutiny. He also warned that introducing AI into a system with existing failures was not electoral reform, but an attempt to distract Nigerians from fundamental questions of institutional independence, transparency, and accountability.
Amupitan had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within INEC's ICT Department and developed an AI Roadmap and Governance Framework. The framework is anchored on human oversight, transparency, and accountability, data protection, cybersecurity, and public trust. He warned that AI-generated disinformation posed a growing threat to elections, capable of producing convincing fake result sheets, cloned voices, and forged official documents.
The Obidient Movement's coordinator gave Amupitan time to reconsider the commission's approach before the 2027 elections, emphasizing that the people's mandate was not negotiable. The movement's concerns raise questions about the readiness of INEC to deploy AI in the 2027 general elections and the potential impact on electoral credibility.
Key points
- The Obidient Movement rejects INEC's plan to deploy AI in the 2027 elections.
- INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, disclosed that the commission had begun deploying AI tools to detect discrepancies and administrative errors.
- The movement demands that INEC publish its comprehensive 2027 election plan and subject its proposed use of AI to independent testing and public scrutiny.
