The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that artificial intelligence-driven disinformation poses a serious threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, raised the concern on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in Abuja, calling for electoral technology and communication to be treated as closely connected aspects of election management.
Amupitan spoke in a keynote address delivered on his behalf by an INEC National Commissioner, Sani Adam, at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria.
The conference was themed, “Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication.”
According to Amupitan, generative artificial intelligence has made it increasingly cheap and difficult to detect manipulated videos, audio recordings and images.
He cited documented cases of doctored political content circulated during recent elections in West and East Africa, including manipulated material linked to Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
The INEC chairman warned that such content could spread to millions of social media users before fact-checkers or electoral authorities have an opportunity to verify it.
He said the threat goes beyond outright fabrication, noting that algorithmic micro-targeting could allow different or even contradictory political messages to be delivered to specific segments of the electorate without a shared factual basis.
“The danger lies not only in outright fabrication but also in algorithmic micro-targeting, which allows conflicting messages to reach narrow segments of the electorate without a shared factual foundation,” he said.
Amupitan also acknowledged concerns arising from the use of electoral technology during the 2023 general election, noting that technology could become a source of public doubt when it underperformed.
“Legitimacy is earned only when systems perform reliably, are well understood, and are explained honestly when they fall short,” he said.
On preparations for the 2027 elections, the INEC chairman disclosed that the commission was conducting a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems, including system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery planning.
He added that INEC was considering a mock presidential election ahead of the 2027 polls to test voter accreditation, result transmission and result viewing under conditions similar to election day.
Amupitan further said the commission had proposed a substantial budget for technology and election operations, including new accreditation devices to replace those lost or damaged during the previous election cycle.
He said INEC was awaiting the full release of the funds, while its ICT team had commenced engagements with manufacturers.
The commission is also developing measures to strengthen its response to election-related disinformation, including faster responses to false claims, proactive communication about known vulnerabilities, greater collaboration with fact-checkers and technology platforms, and increased investment in public media literacy.
Amupitan urged media professionals, technology experts, scholars and other stakeholders to work with INEC to strengthen public understanding and trust in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, according to INEC’s current election timetable.
