The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, has declared that algorithms will not determine the outcome of Nigeria’s 2027 General Elections, insisting that the will of the electorate must remain the ultimate authority in choosing the country’s leaders.
Amupitan made the declaration while speaking at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, themed “Safeguarding the 2027 General Elections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
He stressed that technological advancements, regardless of their sophistication, must serve human interests, strengthen institutional efficiency and promote transparency in electoral administration.
“Algorithms will not, and must never, decide the 2027 vote,” the INEC Chairman declared, adding that the power to determine who governs Nigeria belongs exclusively to its citizens.
According to him, although algorithms can predict patterns, optimise routes and suggest preferences, they lack human conscience, national identity and the right to vote.
The forum, co-convened by INEC and Yiaga Africa, attracted electoral officials from across Africa, members of the diplomatic corps, political party representatives, civil society organisations, media executives, security agencies, technology companies, international development partners and academics.
Among the dignitaries was the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions and Chairman of Senegal’s Electoral Commission, Mr Abdoulaye Sylla.
AI to shape electoral landscape
With 92 days to the 2027 General Elections, Amupitan acknowledged that artificial intelligence would significantly influence the electoral information environment, campaign strategies and election logistics.
He noted that while AI would not determine the final outcome of the polls, its growing influence could affect how voters receive information, how electoral materials are deployed and how democratic institutions respond to emerging threats.
The INEC Chairman described the forthcoming elections as the largest democratic exercise on the African continent and one of the world’s most complex administrative undertakings.
He cited Nigeria’s more than 103 million registered voters, 176,846 polling units across 774 local government areas and the extensive voting arrangements covering presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
Providing an update on the Commission’s preparations, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had completed 10 of the 14 major operational milestones stipulated by the Electoral Act 2026.
He also highlighted the procurement of additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, the digitisation of candidate nominations through the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal (ICNP), which was processing more than 15,000 nominations across 22 political parties, and the introduction of online voter registration.
INEC identifies opportunities in AI
Rather than viewing artificial intelligence solely as a threat, Amupitan identified several areas where the technology could improve election management.
These include predictive logistics, route optimisation, automated assistance with result audits, biometric database maintenance, multilingual voter engagement through Natural Language Processing and AI-powered cybersecurity protection.
He, however, reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to human oversight, maintaining that critical electoral decisions would not be left entirely to autonomous systems.
According to him, voter accreditation, result collation and candidate qualification processes must remain subject to human accountability, statutory supervision and judicial review.
“Human accountability, statutory oversight, and judicial review will remain paramount at every stage of the electoral chain,” he said.
Deepfakes, misinformation pose serious threats
The INEC Chairman identified generative AI, deepfakes, synthetic media, targeted political advertising, algorithmic bias and automated cyberattacks as emerging threats capable of undermining electoral integrity.
He warned that the manipulation of voters through false information could be as damaging as direct attacks on election infrastructure.
“The greatest threat we face is not the hacking of a ballot box, but the hacking of the voter’s mind,” he said.
Amupitan cautioned that the inability of voters to distinguish genuine information from AI-generated falsehoods could undermine informed electoral choices and weaken public confidence in democratic processes.
To address these challenges, he announced the establishment of a specialised AI Unit within INEC’s ICT Directorate.
The unit, he said, would deploy real-time digital monitoring tools, deepfake detection software and data analytics expertise to identify technical threats and information manipulation targeting the electoral process.
INEC seeks stronger collaboration
Amupitan called for coordinated action involving electoral authorities, political parties, civil society, the media, security agencies, technology companies and the judiciary to protect the 2027 elections.
He urged political parties to adopt an Ethical AI Code of Conduct, while encouraging civil society organisations to scrutinise algorithmic transparency and monitor digital campaign expenditure.
He also called on security agencies and judicial institutions to strengthen their capacity for cybercrime investigations and digital forensics.
The media, he added, should establish dedicated digital forensic desks to verify user-generated content before broadcasting or publishing it.
As part of the proposed safeguards, the INEC Chairman advocated the establishment of an Electoral Information Integrity Coalition comprising INEC, civil society organisations, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Nigeria Fact-Checking Coalition, media organisations and telecommunications operators.
The proposed coalition would function as an early-warning mechanism for detecting and responding to viral AI-generated misinformation capable of disrupting the electoral process.
‘The people will decide Nigeria’s future’
Reiterating his central message, Amupitan maintained that the outcome of the 2027 elections would ultimately reflect the choices of ordinary Nigerians across the country.
He cited the market woman in Aba, the farmer in Sokoto, the teacher in Ibadan, the technology innovator in Yaba, Lagos, the fisherman in Bayelsa and the student in Maiduguri as examples of citizens whose votes would shape the nation’s future.
“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.
He added that INEC’s responsibility was to ensure that the people’s voices remained clear and decisive amid the growing influence of digital technologies.
The INEC Chairman concluded that the future of democracy should not be dictated by the capabilities of technology but determined by the choices of free citizens, guided by the laws and institutions that govern their society.
His message underscored the importance of deploying artificial intelligence responsibly while safeguarding electoral transparency, accountability and the constitutional right of Nigerians to choose their leaders.
Courtesy: Lagos Panorama
