By Ade Oyeyemi
The Independent National Electoral Commission has established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division as part of measures to strengthen election monitoring and combat disinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The division, domiciled in the commission’s Information and Communications Technology Department, will support the detection of anomalies in election processes and help counter digitally generated false information.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while giving an update on the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Meeting.
Amupitan said automated AI auditing tools had already been incorporated into the commission’s results verification process.
He explained that the technology would operate under a five-pillar AI governance framework, with human oversight mandatory in its deployment.
“The commission has established a dedicated artificial intelligence division within the ICT department. Automated AI auditing tools have been integrated into our results verification process, under a five-pillar AI governance framework, operating under mandatory human oversight,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman added that the commission was finalising its AI governance policy while working with international technology partners to improve its ability to identify irregularities.
He said the commission was particularly concerned about the increasing use of generative artificial intelligence, voice cloning and deepfake videos to create convincing but false recordings of election officials, result sheets and other official documents.
According to Amupitan, the danger posed by such technology goes beyond individual cases of misinformation, as widespread deepfakes could undermine public confidence in authentic information released by legitimate authorities.
“The greater danger is not any single falsehood. When deepfakes render lies believable, real truth is treated with scepticism, and cynicism replaces civil engagement,” he said.
He said INEC would combine technological measures with public education and collaboration with the media to address the threat.
Amupitan urged journalists and media organisations to verify election-related information and make use of digital forensic tools before publishing materials, particularly those circulating online.
He also warned against the publication of privately collated results and premature declarations, stressing that the legal authority to declare election results belongs to INEC.
“Resist the declaration of privately collated results, because under the Electoral Act, the authority to declare results rests exclusively with the Commission,” he said.
Beyond the AI initiative, Amupitan said INEC was upgrading its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices and conducting nationwide audits and stress tests as part of preparations for the 2027 polls.
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He disclosed that the commission would also conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November and establish a situation room for real-time monitoring before, during and after the elections.
Training and technical support for election personnel, he added, would continue as the commission prepares for the 2027 general elections.
