The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that artificial intelligence (AI) will support, rather than control, the 2027 General Elections, warning that AI-generated misinformation poses a major threat to electoral integrity.
Amupitan gave the assurance on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, organised in collaboration with Yiaga Africa.
He warned that deepfakes, cloned audio recordings and fake electoral announcements could mislead voters, undermine public trust and disrupt the electoral process.
“The greatest threat we face is not the hacking of a ballot box, but the hacking of the voter’s mind,” he said.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the Commission had established an AI Unit within its ICT Directorate to monitor digital threats, detect deepfakes and track attempts to manipulate election-related information.
He also stressed that critical electoral decisions, including result collation, voter accreditation and candidate qualification, would not be fully automated or delegated to autonomous systems. All AI tools deployed by the Commission, he added, would undergo rigorous audits to ensure fairness, security and accountability.
Amupitan said AI could also improve election logistics, detect irregularities in polling unit result sheets, identify duplicate voter records, strengthen cybersecurity and make voter education materials accessible in indigenous languages.
He called on technology companies, political parties, the media, civil society organisations and security agencies to work with INEC to combat AI-generated misinformation ahead of the elections.
The chairman further urged political parties and candidates to adopt an ethical code of conduct prohibiting the use of deepfakes, synthetic impersonation and automated disinformation campaigns.
He said the ultimate decision on who leads Nigeria must remain with voters, adding that INEC’s responsibility was to ensure that citizens’ choices were protected from digital manipulation.
