Special Report
By Chukwudi George Ozalla
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, has warned that the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), deepfake videos and foreign information manipulation could undermine Nigeria’s 2027 general elections before voters get to the polling units.
Amupitan gave the warning on Monday, November 2, at the opening of the two-day national summit on electoral information integrity, titled Beyond the Ballot: Safeguarding Electoral Information Integrity in the Age of AI, held at the Abuja Continental Hotel.
He described the weaponisation of information as one of the most significant technological challenges facing modern democracy, warning that false information capable of damaging public confidence in electoral institutions had become a serious security concern.
“Apart from the tendencies to bring down an institution, it is an insult on our collective intelligence and collective security,” he said.
The INEC chairman explained that electoral threats had moved beyond the traditional concerns of ballot snatching, violence, logistics and other physical interference to the use of digital networks to manipulate voters.
He identified synthetic media, automated misinformation and disinformation, deepfake fabrications, digital micro-targeting and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) as emerging threats requiring urgent attention ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The terrain of electoral integrity has fundamentally shifted. Today, elections can be undermined, long before the first ballot is cast,” he said.
Amupitan cited the increasing availability of generative AI tools, which now make it possible for individuals and groups to clone the voices of public figures, produce convincing videos of electoral officials making false announcements and operate automated accounts capable of creating the impression of widespread public outrage.
He warned that such activities could be deployed to circulate fake INEC directives, manipulate information about voter registration, announce false election results or falsely claim that elections had been postponed in particular locations.
The chairman recalled the 2023 parliamentary election in Slovakia, where an AI-generated audio recording purportedly featuring a political party leader discussing vote-buying circulated shortly before the election. The recording emerged during a period when political campaigning was restricted, leaving little opportunity for an effective public response.
He said the incident demonstrated why public awareness alone could not defeat coordinated disinformation campaigns, particularly when manipulated content was deliberately released at sensitive moments in the electoral process.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC was strengthening its digital infrastructure, voter education and internal communication systems to respond to the emerging threats.
He said the Commission was moving voter education beyond teaching citizens how to vote to helping them identify authentic electoral information and verify suspicious online content.
He also disclosed that INEC already had a memorandum of understanding with TikTok and was working towards stronger collaboration with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Telegram and X.
The chairman called for rapid-response arrangements that would enable the Commission to detect and debunk false electoral information within minutes of its appearance.
He asked media organisations, fact-checkers, technology companies, security agencies and civil society groups to establish direct communication channels with INEC to ensure that misleading information did not spread unchecked.
Amupitan also cautioned against using the fight against disinformation as an excuse to restrict legitimate political expression, press freedom or criticism of public institutions.
He said measures to address foreign interference and synthetic electoral fraud must respect constitutional rights, transparency and legal accountability.
The chairman requested that the summit produce three practical outcomes: clear inter-agency procedures for detecting, verifying and communicating information during digital crises; institutionalised fact-checking desks with direct access to INEC; and simulation exercises to prepare relevant institutions for AI-driven attacks ahead of the 2027 elections.
He disclosed that INEC had recently conducted a strategic communication workshop with one of its development partners, during which some scenarios involving AI-driven electoral information manipulation were simulated.
Former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, who chaired the summit, called on electoral management bodies, particularly INEC, to embrace artificial intelligence rather than avoid the technology because of its potential misuse.
Jega proposed the introduction of official AI-powered chatbots backed by verified INEC information to enable voters to obtain accurate answers to electoral questions, authenticate announcements and check suspicious claims circulating on social media.
He said such platforms would give citizens an accessible means of distinguishing genuine electoral information from fabricated content, particularly during periods of heightened political activity.
The former INEC chairman also called on Nigerians and international partners to contribute to strengthening the country’s electoral process.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, warned that foreign information manipulation and interference could damage Nigeria’s democratic institutions if appropriate safeguards were not established before the 2027 elections.
He said the immediate target of electoral disinformation was information, but its ultimate objective was to weaken public confidence in democratic institutions.
“An election can be undermined without a single ballot being altered,” Mignot warned.
He explained that artificial intelligence offered useful opportunities for translation, accessibility and public communication, but the same technology could make it easier for individuals and organised groups to manufacture deceptive electoral content.
The EU envoy drew attention to the vulnerability of women participating in politics, noting that female political actors were particularly exposed to intimidation, false information and coordinated online attacks.
He called for electoral information to be made available in local languages and through community media platforms, while ensuring that persons with special needs were not excluded from access to credible information.
Mignot maintained that the response to disinformation must go beyond identifying manipulated videos and audio recordings to addressing the wider networks and interests behind information manipulation.
The Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), Dr Lanre Arogundade, presented figures showing the extent of misinformation and the growing dependence of Nigerians on social media for political information.
He disclosed that the Nigeria Factcheckers’ Coalition found that 63 per cent of presidential and National Assembly claims reviewed during the 2023 general elections were entirely false.
He added that false claims moved to a second online platform within an average of 11 minutes, while more than 1.2 million accounts following leading presidential candidates were considered inauthentic.
Arogundade also drew attention to Nigeria’s internet population, estimated at about 148 million users, and a survey of 829 voters across the six geopolitical zones.
According to him, 52 per cent of respondents obtained political news primarily from social media. The figure rose above 82 per cent in the South-East, where more than four in ten respondents did not verify information received.
He further disclosed that 66.5 per cent of Nigerians surveyed expressed serious concern about political misinformation generated through artificial intelligence.
On the international dimension, Arogundade cited research documenting 189 disinformation campaigns across Africa, four times the 2022 figure, with West Africa recording 72 campaigns.
He said organised social media manipulation had also been recorded in at least 81 countries, while digital platforms had exposed and removed foreign-linked networks whose activities reached Nigerian audiences.
Arogundade argued that public awareness campaigns alone would not address the problem. He called for an organised system through which institutions could identify threats early, verify information, escalate incidents and communicate accurate facts to the public.
He also disclosed that the summit would feature a practical simulation designed to test the readiness of participating institutions and identify weaknesses in their response arrangements.
The IPC director cautioned that efforts to protect elections must not undermine the democratic freedoms they are intended to defend. He called for respect for freedom of expression, media freedom, privacy and due process, insisting that allegations of foreign interference must be supported by credible evidence.
He also stressed the need to protect INEC’s institutional independence ahead of the 2027 elections.
In her keynote address, Professor Abigael Ogwezzy-Ndisika of the University of Lagos warned that Nigeria’s 2027 elections faced serious threats from sophisticated deepfakes, manipulated information and foreign interference.
She recalled incidents during the 2023 elections involving cloned statements and fabricated result sheets, warning that the growing sophistication of artificial intelligence could make such manipulation more difficult to detect.
Ogwezzy-Ndisika also drew attention to the involvement of local influencers in information manipulation, noting that the spread of false electoral narratives could be strengthened by individuals with established online followings.
She proposed an Electoral Information Integrity Response Protocol incorporating early-warning systems, forensic verification and rapid communication channels.
The professor, however, cautioned against excessive government responses, particularly internet shutdowns, which could restrict legitimate communication and undermine citizens’ democratic rights.
The opening day’s deliberations also featured an evidence briefing by Dr Monday Ashibogwu and Professor Lambe Mustafa.
A fireside conversation on understanding Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference in Nigerian and international contexts was moderated by Professor Umaru Pate. The discussion featured Kunle Adebajo of the Academy of Open Source Investigations and Elonal Hickok of the Global Network Initiative.
Another session, titled Votes, Voices, and Algorithms: Who Is Most Exposed?, examined the vulnerability of different groups and stakeholders to digital manipulation during elections.
Moderated by Ms Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, the session featured the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Dayo Oketola; Founder of Bootstrap Africa, Ade Atobatele; and Founder of Rise Network, Dr Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji.
The two-day summit brought together participants from INEC, media organisations, civil society, security institutions and the technology sector. It is organised by the International Press Centre, Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) and DAI, with support from the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN III) programme.
The second day is expected to feature additional panel discussions and the presentation of a communiqué containing recommendations for strengthening electoral information integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
