The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has insisted that artificial intelligence will not determine the outcome of Nigeria’s 2027 general election, stressing that the final decision must rest with voters.
Amupitan made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at the 2026 AI and Democracy Forum, organised by Yiaga Africa in partnership with INEC and other technology and civil society organisations.
Addressing concerns about the growing influence of artificial intelligence in elections, the INEC chairman said the technology must support democracy rather than replace the judgment of the electorate.
“2027 votes must be decided by the sovereign people of Nigeria,” he said, adding that AI should serve as a tool for improving electoral administration and protecting the integrity of the voting process.
Amupitan explained that AI could help INEC address logistical challenges, including the deployment of election materials to remote communities, the identification of unusual patterns in election results and the detection of duplicate records in the voters’ register.
He said the commission was also exploring AI-powered tools to improve route planning, monitor supplies and strengthen cybersecurity ahead of the elections.
According to him, INEC has established a dedicated AI unit within its Information and Communication Technology department and is finalising a governance framework to guide the responsible use of the technology.
He emphasised that human oversight, transparency and accountability would remain central to the commission’s operations, particularly in the verification and management of election results.
However, Amupitan warned that artificial intelligence could also be exploited to spread misinformation, create convincing deepfake videos, clone voices and produce fake election documents capable of misleading voters.
He called on political parties, security agencies, media organisations, technology companies and civil society groups to work together to prevent the misuse of AI during the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, cautioned that deploying technology alone would not guarantee credible elections without transparency and public confidence in the institutions managing it.
Itodo also warned organisations developing AI-powered platforms for election result aggregation to ensure their systems were accurate, transparent and open to independent scrutiny. He stressed that INEC remained the legally authorised body responsible for declaring election results.
The forum brought together electoral officials from Nigeria and other African countries to discuss safeguards against digital manipulation and the challenges artificial intelligence could pose to democratic processes.
With preparations for the 2027 elections underway, the discussions have highlighted the need to balance technological innovation with human accountability and public trust.
