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By Chinenye Anuforo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over the growing threat of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven disinformation, deepfakes and other forms of digital manipulation to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, said emerging digital technologies had created new vulnerabilities for electoral processes, warning that manipulated videos, cloned voices, fabricated images and coordinated online campaigns could undermine public trust in democratic institutions.
Amupitan spoke on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the Beyond the Ballot: National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity: AI, FIMI and the Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Election.
The two-day summit, holding from November 2 to 3 in Abuja, 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 observed that threats to elections had evolved beyond physical interference and conventional electoral malpractice to include the weaponisation of information through digital platforms and artificial intelligence.
He 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.
According to him, “The risks could emerge at different stages of the electoral cycle, from voter registration and political campaigns to voting, announcement of results and post-election dispute resolution.”
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,” he explained.
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.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Dr Lanre Arogundade, said the experience of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections had demonstrated the dangers of false claims, social media manipulation and the growing use of AI to distort electoral information.
Arogundade stressed the need for a coordinated response that would bring relevant stakeholders together to protect the integrity of electoral information without undermining fundamental rights.
He advocated the development of a national response protocol and stronger collaboration among institutions, describing the proposed Nigeria Electoral Information Integrity Partnership as an important platform for coordinated action.
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A former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, also called for the summit to produce practical recommendations capable of addressing the growing threats to electoral credibility.
Jega emphasised the importance of using technology to counter false information, proposing the deployment of INEC-backed chatbots that could provide citizens with verified electoral information and help them authenticate claims circulating online.
He noted that access to credible information would be important in helping voters distinguish between genuine electoral updates and fabricated claims.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, warned that information manipulation was fundamentally an attack on public trust.
Mignot stressed that preparations to tackle electoral disinformation must begin before election-related tensions intensified, rather than waiting until false narratives had already spread.
He called for stronger operational partnerships among relevant stakeholders and emphasised the need to protect fundamental rights, press independence and citizens’ participation in the democratic process.
The EU ambassador also highlighted the importance of ensuring that responses to information manipulation were inclusive, particularly for women and citizens who relied on local languages or faced barriers to accessing digital information.
He reaffirmed the EU’s support for Nigerian-led efforts to strengthen electoral integrity, stressing that the objective was to support the democratic process rather than influence its outcome.
The summit is bringing together policymakers, electoral stakeholders, media professionals, technology experts, civil society organisations and development partners to examine the implications of AI, misinformation, disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) for Nigeria’s democratic process.
A key component of the engagement is a simulation of an AI-driven electoral disinformation crisis, designed to test stakeholders’ preparedness and coordination in responding to information threats that could arise before, during and after the 2027 elections.
The organisers said the summit aimed 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.
With Nigeria preparing for another general election in 2027, concerns over the growing sophistication of digital manipulation have placed renewed attention on the ability of electoral institutions and other stakeholders to protect voters from misleading information and preserve confidence in the democratic process.
