The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned that Artificial Intelligence-driven disinformation poses one of the most serious threats to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 General Election, saying its credibility now rests as much on how information about its processes is understood as it does on the integrity of the ballot.

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, represented by National Commissioner Sani Adams (SAN), raised the alarm on Wednesday at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria, held at the National Open University Conference Centre in Abuja.

“Generative artificial intelligence has made it increasingly cheap and difficult to detect manipulated video, audio and imagery,” Amupitan said. “The danger lies not only in outright fabrication but also in algorithmic microtargeting, which allows conflicting messages to reach narrow segments of the electorate without a shared factual foundation.”

He cited documented cases of doctored political content during recent electoral cycles in West and East Africa, including footage that circulated around Nigeria’s 2023 presidential contest. Such content, he warned, could spread to millions of social media users before verification is possible.

The deployment of BVAS and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) was designed to close a longstanding credibility gap, giving citizens the ability to view polling unit results before they could be altered en route to collation. Amupitan acknowledged that the 2023 General Election showed that such technology could become a source of public doubt when it underperformed.

“Legitimacy is earned only when systems perform reliably, are well understood, and are explained honestly when they fall short,” he stated.

Amupitan confirmed that INEC is undertaking a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems, covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery planning. The commission is also exploring the conduct of a mock presidential election ahead of 2027 to test accreditation, transmission and results viewing under conditions similar to election day.

The chairman said INEC has proposed a substantial budget with significant allocations for technology and election operations, including new accreditation devices to replace those lost or damaged in the last cycle. While full release of the funds is still being awaited, the commission’s ICT team has already engaged manufacturers on procurement.

Outlining a five-point approach, Amupitan called for the integration of technology and communication planning; a dedicated rapid-response capability for countering falsehoods within the same news cycle; pre-emptive public communication about known vulnerabilities and safeguards; deeper partnership with media scholars, fact-checkers and technology platforms; and sustained investment in public media literacy.

He also observed that Nigeria’s 2027 electorate will be younger and more mobile-first than any before it, describing the smartphone as the primary window through which many voters will experience the election.

“Solutions adopted elsewhere must be adapted to Nigeria’s own realities of internet access, language diversity and institutional trust,” Amupitan said, adding that INEC’s response to disinformation would be to provide better and faster information rather than to restrict legitimate journalism or civic dissent.