The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that voter accreditation, result collation and other critical decisions in the 2027 general elections will remain subject to human control rather than being delegated entirely to artificial intelligence.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, gave the assurance on Wednesday in Abuja during his keynote address at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026, organised in collaboration with Yiaga Africa.
According to the commission’s Wednesday Bulletin, Amupitan said the authority to choose Nigeria’s leaders belonged exclusively to voters.
“Algorithms will not, and must never, decide the 2027 vote,” he said.
Human Oversight to Remain Mandatory
Amupitan said INEC’s foundational policy prohibited the full automation of critical electoral decisions, including accreditation, collation and candidate qualification.
“Human accountability, statutory oversight and judicial review will remain paramount at every stage of the electoral chain,” he said.
The assurance distinguishes the use of AI to support election administration from allowing autonomous systems to determine electoral outcomes.
Candidate qualification has already generated legal debate ahead of the polls, including questions examined in The Bureau Journal’s report on party membership registers and nomination requirements.
AI Could Flag Errors Without Declaring Results
The chairman said human collation remained the statutory standard for declaring results, but AI could support parallel statistical checks on polling-unit result sheets uploaded through the eEC8A.
Such tools could flag arithmetic inconsistencies, unusual entry patterns and poor-quality images for administrative review.
He also identified potential applications in logistics, database management and operational planning.
| Electoral function | INEC’s stated approach |
|---|---|
| Voter accreditation | Will not be fully automated or delegated to an autonomous system |
| Result collation and declaration | Human collation remains the statutory standard |
| Candidate qualification | Subject to human accountability, statutory oversight and judicial review |
| Result-sheet checks | AI could flag inconsistencies for administrative review |
| Logistics and operational support | AI tools may assist planning, subject to audits |
Amupitan said geospatial analysis could assist the deployment of personnel, vehicles, boats and sensitive materials to 176,846 polling units before 7:30am on election day.
The personnel preparations include INEC’s recruitment of ad hoc election staff.
Deepfakes and Cloned Voices Pose Risks
The INEC chairman warned that generative AI had made convincing false videos and audio recordings easier and cheaper to produce.
He said fabricated content could depict candidates making statements they never made or election officials issuing false instructions.
“The greatest threat we face is not the hacking of a ballot box, but the hacking of the voter’s mind,” Amupitan said.
He warned that malicious actors could circulate false announcements of candidate withdrawals, election postponements or inflammatory ethnic and religious remarks within minutes.
Impersonation of INEC officials and security personnel could also be used to publish unauthorised results or discourage voters from leaving their homes.
INEC Establishes AI Monitoring Unit
Amupitan disclosed that the commission had created an AI Unit within its Information and Communication Technology Directorate.
He said the unit had digital monitoring tools, deepfake detection software and data analytics expertise.
Any AI or automated system proposed for deployment would undergo audits covering explainability, fairness and security, he added.
The commission was also developing a Digital Strategy and working with technology platforms to support the rapid identification, debunking and labelling of misleading AI-generated electoral content.
AI is also being explored in other areas of public administration, including NITDA’s initiative to organise youth submissions for policy discussions.
Technology Firms and Parties Asked to Act
Amupitan urged Meta, X, Google, TikTok and Telegram to act quickly against unlabelled synthetic media impersonating candidates, election officials or security personnel.
He called for disclaimers on political advertisements and restrictions on micro-targeting based on ethnicity, religion or local origin.
Political parties and candidates were also asked to sign an Ethical AI Code of Conduct rejecting deepfakes, synthetic impersonation, undisclosed political advertising and automated botnets.
INEC Reports Progress on Election Preparations
The chairman said 10 of the 14 major operational milestones under the Electoral Act 2026 had been completed.
He said the election would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 774 local government areas. The Bureau Journal’s state-by-state voter register breakdown examines the distribution of that electorate.
The two-day forum brought together electoral officials, political parties, civil society organisations, security agencies, technology companies and journalists.
The discussions add to wider calls for responsible political participation, including appeals against political violence.
Amupitan maintained that technology must support voters’ choices rather than replace them.
“On election day in 2027, it will be the thumbprint of the Nigerian citizen, guided by their own will and their own hopes, that decides our future,” he said.
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