ABUJA, Nigeria — The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has defended the proposed integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into Nigeria’s electoral system, insisting that the technology can strengthen democracy rather than undermine it if properly deployed.
Amupitan said AI could improve election management through more efficient voter registration, logistics planning, data analysis and the management of large voter databases.
He spoke on Monday at The Beyond the Ballot Summit in Abuja, where he noted that electoral management bodies across the world were increasingly adopting AI-assisted processes to enhance administrative efficiency and election planning, reports Daily Sun.
“Artificial Intelligence, AI, is not an enemy of democracy,” he declared.
However, the INEC chairman warned that the growing accessibility of generative AI tools had created new opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate voters, spread disinformation and undermine public confidence in elections.
He said the technology had significantly reduced the resources required to produce sophisticated fake audio recordings and videos capable of misleading the electorate.
“However, the rabid democratisation of generative AI models has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for malicious actors. Capacities and capabilities that would require high-level intelligence resources, such as high-quality voice cloning of public figures and hyper-realistic synthesis of election officials making false announcements, are now accessible at negligible cost.
“These tools target specific vulnerabilities with distinct timelines,” he said.
His remarks come as INEC prepares to integrate artificial intelligence into Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general election, amid growing concerns over manipulated audio recordings, fabricated announcements and realistic videos designed to mislead voters.
The debate has intensified following the discovery of questionable photographs, including images suspected to have been generated by artificial intelligence, in INEC’s preliminary Register of Voters.
The photographs appeared in some voter records in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, raising concerns about the integrity of the voter database and the verification procedures adopted during registration.
INEC acknowledged the questionable records and announced an investigation into how the images were introduced into the register.
The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, reportedly linked some of the AI-generated images to irregularities allegedly introduced by registration officers with access to the system.
INEC has maintained that the register remains preliminary and will undergo verification, data cleaning and corrections before the final version is certified.
The commission has also pledged to ensure that the adoption of artificial intelligence strengthens the credibility, transparency and efficiency of Nigeria’s electoral process.
