FG, INEC, raise the alarm over AI threat to 2027 elections

By Ochiaka Ugwu

Nigerian Government has raised concerns on the dangers of artificial intelligence to the successful conduct of 2027 elections.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity in Abuja Monday, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Mohammed Idris said artificial intelligence has made it easier to create convincing fake videos, cloned voices, manipulated photographs and fabricated news reports.

Idris represented by Executive Secretary of Nigerian Press Council (NPC), Dilli Ezughah noted that electoral integrity extends beyond voting, counting and declaring results, but depends on the quality of information available to citizens before, during and after elections.

He said that artificial intelligence had made it easier to create convincing fake videos, cloned voices, manipulated photographs and fabricated news reports and when deliberately deployed to deceive voters, it can distort public debate, damage reputations, provoke tensions and undermine confidence in democratic institutions.

Idris informed that Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) added another dimension to the challenge as it involves coordinated efforts by foreign actors to manipulate information, influence public opinion and interfere with democratic processes.

Idris stated that addressing these threats requires vigilance, cooperation and a clear understanding of the responsibilities of every stakeholder.

While acknowledging that Nigerian Government recognised the importance of a credible information environment to democratic stability, Idris said the Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, published in 2024, provides a framework for responsible, ethical and inclusive AI development and deployment.

“Its emphasis on governance, transparency and risk management is relevant as we consider how emerging technologies should be used without compromising public trust” he said.

He emphasized the need why media and information literacy must be an important part of the national preparedness as 2027 elections approach.

He said although, the Electoral Act 2026 provides an important legal framework for election administration, including mandatory electronic transmission of polling-unit results, Idris insisted that technology alone cannot guarantee public confidence maintaining that Electoral institutions must communicate clearly with journalists verifying information, and citizens knowing where to obtain authentic electoral updates.

He said that responses to misinformation must be lawful, proportionate and respectful of fundamental rights with technology platforms, political parties, security agencies, civil society and fact-checkers recognizing their responsibilities.

He however, urged the summit to move beyond discussions and produce practical commitments, stronger verification systems, rapid channels for correcting false information, coordinated responses to information threats and sustained public education ahead of the elections.

He said the integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 elections was a shared responsibility where every institution and citizen had a role to play.

Also speaking, Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Joash Amupitan said that elections can be undermined long before the first ballot was cast, saying the threat was no longer limited to physical interference (such as violent ballot snatching) at the polling unit, but takes shape within digital networks through synthetic media, automated misinformation/disinformation, deepfake fabrications, digital micro-targeting, and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI).

He said the worrying reality was that many democracies were not really prepared for these.

He said the undeniable truth was that public awareness alone was no longer an adequate defense against synthetic content and digital manipulation, noting that informing citizens that deepfakes exist or urging caution when consuming online news was useful, but warned that it was insufficient against well-coordinated, highly funded, and hyper-targeted information operations designed to erode public trust in election administration.

He said that Nigeria required a trusted, coordinated, and rights-respecting operational ecosystem- an institutional structure through which public authorities, security bodies, independent fact-checkers, media networks, and platform operators can collectively anticipate emerging threats, verify evidence, escalate incidents without delay, communicate authoritatively, and institutionalise post-event lessons.

Speaking earlier, Executive Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade said AI threat extends beyond Nigeria, stating that researchers documented 189 disinformation campaigns across Africa—four times the 2022 total—with West Africa most targeted at 72, recording organised social-media manipulation in at least 81 countries.

He said platforms have exposed and removed foreign-linked networks that reached Nigerian audiences.

He informed of voices being cloned in minutes; and result sheets being forged in seconds with authentic evidence dismissed as ‘AI’.

He said that when citizens cannot agree on what is real, accountability suffers and trust in elections declines, noting that awareness alone was insufficient as Nigeria needs a trusted, coordinated, rights-respecting system enabling institutions to anticipate threats, verify evidence, escalate incidents, communicate authoritatively, and learn from each response.