Amupitan: AI won’t decide 2027 election but could influence voters’ choices

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, has declared that algorithms will not decide the outcome of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the choice of Nigeria’s leaders rests exclusively with the electorate.

Amupitan said artificial intelligence (AI) could influence the information available to voters and shape their political choices, but maintained that technology must remain a tool for strengthening democracy rather than determining electoral outcomes.

He spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum, where he delivered a keynote address on safeguarding the 2027 general elections in the age of AI organized by Yiaga Africa.

“Algorithms will not, and must never, decide the 2027 vote. Algorithms will not decide the vote, because the choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people,” he said.

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The INEC chairman explained that sovereignty in a constitutional democracy rests with the people, who exercise their will through ballots cast at polling units across the country.

He, however, warned that dismissing the influence of artificial intelligence would be naive, noting that the technology could shape the information environment in which citizens make electoral choices, influence election logistics and alter the strategies of political actors.

“While algorithms will not decide the vote, AI will undeniably shape the information environment in which citizens form their choices, influence the speed and security of electoral logistics, and alter the tactics of both democratic actors and anti-democratic disruptors,” he said.

Amupitan said the commission had a responsibility to ensure that AI was deployed to strengthen electoral integrity while protecting the process against manipulation and other emerging technological threats.

He identified deepfakes, synthetic media, targeted disinformation, automated social media accounts and cyberattacks as potential threats to the credibility of the 2027 elections.

According to him, advances in generative AI have made it easier to produce convincing fake videos, audio recordings and images capable of misleading voters, impersonating election officials and spreading false information about electoral procedures.

He warned that such content could be used to falsely announce the withdrawal of candidates, circulate fake election postponement notices or make inflammatory statements capable of provoking ethnic and religious tensions.

“The greatest threat we face is not the hacking of a ballot box, but the hacking of the voter’s mind,” he said.

The INEC chairman also cautioned that AI-powered platforms could exploit voters’ personal preferences and vulnerabilities to circulate targeted political messages, manipulate public opinion and discourage particular groups from participating in elections.

He said the commission was developing a digital strategy to monitor the information environment and was partnering with technology platforms to facilitate the rapid debunking of false information and the identification of AI-generated content relating to electoral processes.

Amupitan disclosed that INEC had established a specialised AI unit within its Information and Communication Technology Directorate to monitor digital threats, detect deepfakes and track attempts to manipulate electoral information.

He stressed that critical electoral decisions, including voter accreditation, result collation and candidate qualification, would not be fully automated or delegated to autonomous systems.

“No critical electoral decision, result collation, voter accreditation, or candidate qualification will ever be fully automated or delegated to an autonomous system,” he said, adding that human accountability, statutory oversight and judicial review would remain central to the electoral process.

He also urged political parties and candidates to commit to ethical use of AI by refraining from deploying deepfakes, synthetic impersonation, deceptive political advertisements and automated accounts to mislead voters or discredit opponents.

The chairman called on technology companies to strengthen measures against the spread of fabricated electoral content and ensure greater transparency in political advertising, particularly where algorithmic targeting could exploit sensitive characteristics such as ethnicity and religion.

He further urged media organisations to strengthen fact-checking and digital verification mechanisms, warning that the speed of information dissemination must not take precedence over accuracy.

According to him, INEC would work with the National Orientation Agency, civil society organisations and media partners to incorporate AI media literacy into voter education programmes, encouraging citizens to verify sensational online content before sharing it.

Amupitan said the 2027 general elections would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He added that the commission had completed 10 of the 14 major operational milestones for the elections, while continuing to modernise its systems and strengthen preparations.

He maintained that technology could improve election administration through better logistics planning, biometric database management, anomaly detection and cybersecurity, provided its use remained transparent and subject to human oversight.

“The 2027 vote will be decided, as it must always be, by the sovereign people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

Amupitan added that INEC’s responsibility was to ensure that technological tools supported the credibility of the electoral process and did not undermine the will of voters.