The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has raised concern over the growing use of artificial intelligence to create fake election results, deepfake videos and manipulated audio ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The commission warned that the rapid development of generative AI has created a new challenge for election communication, with fabricated materials capable of appearing genuine and spreading widely before they can be verified.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, said the threat was already becoming part of the country’s electoral environment and should not be treated as a future possibility.
Amupitan raised the concern in Abuja during a capacity-building workshop organised for the commission’s Public Affairs Officers (PAOs).
He was represented at the event by a National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
The workshop was organised under the theme, “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027.”
According to Amupitan, the increasing sophistication of artificial intelligence means that false information can now be produced at a lower cost and in forms that may be difficult for ordinary members of the public to identify as fake.
“Generative AI has made it cheaper and considerably harder to detect manipulated audio, video and images. Its misuse extends beyond fabricated content to targeted messaging capable of dividing voters along conflicting narratives,” he said.
The INEC chairman said the challenge was broader than the manipulation of election-related photographs or videos.
He noted that artificial intelligence could also be used to create targeted narratives capable of influencing how voters understand candidates, political parties and electoral developments.
He stressed that the integrity of an election now extends beyond what happens at polling units and during the collation of results.
“Election credibility today no longer depends only on ballot papers, BVAS machines and result sheets, but equally on the information environment in which voters form their judgments.
“Electoral technology and electoral communication should be treated not as separate concerns but as a single discipline,” he said.
The warning comes as political parties, candidates, voters and election stakeholders prepare for the 2027 elections.
