The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that artificial intelligence driven deepfakes and synthetic disinformation could undermine public trust and democratic stability ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 General Elections.
The commission urged newsroom leaders across the country to establish rigorous fact checking and digital verification systems to prevent manipulated videos, cloned audio, fake result sheets and other AI generated content from influencing voters or delegitimising genuine election outcomes.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, who was represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, gave the warning on Thursday at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) 2026 in Enugu.
Amupitan, in an address titled “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” said advances in generative AI, voice cloning and deepfake technology had made it increasingly difficult to distinguish authentic information from manufactured content.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, the INEC chairman said malicious actors could now produce convincing fake videos of electoral officials, cloned audio recordings and manipulated result sheets with relatively modest computing resources.
“We have moved far beyond simple political bias, hyperbole, or unverified rumours into an era of synthetically manufactured reality,” Amupitan said.
He warned that the greatest danger posed by synthetic disinformation was not merely that citizens could be deceived by a particular falsehood, but that repeated exposure to convincing fabrications could erode confidence in genuine information from legitimate authorities.
“When everything can be faked, citizens begin to doubt genuine, verified facts provided by constitutional authorities,” he said.
Amupitan said a fake video purporting to show an electoral official declaring false results, a cloned audio recording allegedly instructing election officials to manipulate voting devices, or fabricated result sheets circulated immediately after polling could create the perception of electoral fraud before the official collation process was completed.
He therefore called on media organisations to institutionalise specialised fact checking desks, deploy forensic image analysis tools and ensure that election results were verified through INEC before publication.
Responding to the emerging threat, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department and had begun deploying automated AI auditing tools in its Results Management process.
According to him, the tools are designed to identify discrepancies before final verification, while all automated checks remain subject to human oversight under a five pillar AI Governance Framework.
The INEC chairman also cautioned media organisations against publishing or amplifying privately collated election results before official declarations.
“Let’s resist premature result declarations. Under the Electoral Act, statutory authority to declare election results rests exclusively with INEC,” he said.
He warned that amplifying unverified figures released by political actors on social media could create conflicting narratives and undermine public confidence in officially declared results.
Amupitan urged editors to ensure that their platforms did not become channels for unverified election figures or AI-generated misinformation.
“The pressure on modern newsrooms to be first is immense. But in national elections, it is vastly more important to be right than to be first,” he said.
He added that rushing to publish unverified claims, including fake result sheets, doctored videos and unconfirmed statements, could give institutional credibility to deliberate deception and potentially damage public peace.
The INEC chairman also drew attention to the welfare of Nigerian journalists, arguing that poor remuneration and financial insecurity could expose journalists and newsrooms to political inducement and other pressures.
“A poorly compensated journalist is vulnerable; a financially neglected newsroom is fertile ground for compromise,” he said.
According to him, journalists who receive decent remuneration and structured welfare are better positioned to resist inducements, interrogate false narratives and report elections objectively.
Amupitan said INEC had adopted similar measures for its workforce, disclosing that the Commission established the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), separating its employees from the regular Civil Service salary structure with effect from January 1, 2026.
President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr Eze Anaba, said the media had a responsibility to protect democracy by holding power accountable and providing space for diverse voices.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that our democracy survives. The media must hold power accountable and provide the space for diverse voices to be heard,” Anaba said.
He added that political actors were not the only institutions responsible for sustaining democracy, noting the roles of the judiciary and the media.
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, urged INEC to establish a joint Rapid Response Desk involving newsrooms to counter election misinformation.
Achebe also challenged editors to play a more active role in addressing voter apathy by educating citizens on the importance of participating in the electoral process.
On preparations for the 2027 elections, Amupitan said INEC had commenced a six-zone Interactive Meetings and Readiness Assessment tour, which began in Lagos on September 7.
He said the exercise was aimed at assessing the commission’s preparations across the country and engaging stakeholders ahead of the elections.
According to him, the media had a critical role to play because electoral contests were no longer fought only at polling units but also in the information space.
Also speaking at the conference, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, stressed the importance of a free press to democratic governance.
Onaiyekan said Nigeria’s media environment had continued to benefit from the diversity of newspapers, radio and television stations, as well as the emergence of social media.
He, however, noted that artificial intelligence was rapidly transforming communication, warning that the technology could pose dangers if it escaped effective human control.
“The latest arrival, of course, is artificial intelligence, AI. It is already working wonders in the communication space, though not without its dangers if it is allowed to spin out of human control,” he said.
