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The decision by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to establish a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division and begin incorporating AI tools into the verification of election results and cybersecurity systems ahead of the 2027 general elections has sparked criticism, particularly among opposition figures.

Amupitan made the announcement on Tuesday in Abuja during a world press conference and national stakeholders’ meeting organised to mark 100 days to the first ballot of the 2027 elections.

He explained that automated AI auditing tools were being incorporated into the Commission’s results verification procedures under a five-pillar AI Governance Framework, with human oversight remaining mandatory.

He added that the Commission was putting the finishing touches to a policy that would regulate the use of the technology.

According to him, INEC was also incorporating AI-powered anomaly detection systems to track database traffic and safeguard its public portals against cyberattacks and unauthorised modifications.

However, the INEC chairman warned that the increasing use of generative AI, voice cloning and deepfake videos presented a significant danger to the credibility of the electoral process.

“Generative AI, voice cloning and deepfake videos now make it cheap to fabricate the voices of election officials, doctored result sheets and fake letterheads and to spread them faster than they can be verified,” he said.

He consequently called on media organisations to establish fact-checking desks and confirm election-related information with INEC before publishing it.

“In national elections, it is far more important to be right than to be first,” he said.

Nevertheless, the proposed introduction of the technology has generated concerns in some quarters over its timing and the reasons behind the decision.

Some critics have questioned why INEC would adopt a process that Amupitan himself acknowledged could be easily faked during an election as significant as the 2027 polls.

Those opposed to the initiative argue that the INEC chairman has yet to reveal the actual motive behind the planned integration of AI into the electoral process, particularly given the acknowledged possibility of cloning election results and the voices of INEC officials.

Reacting to the development, the Obidient Movement categorically rejected the initiative, insisting that AI should not be used in results collation and that every result must remain independently verifiable.

In a statement issued by its Media and Communications Directorate, the movement described INEC’s proposal as “reckless and unacceptable,” pointing to the Commission’s admission that its AI governance policy was still being finalised.

“INEC cannot tell Nigerians that it intends to introduce AI into one of the most sensitive stages of the electoral process while simultaneously admitting that the rules governing its use are still being developed.

“Nigerians are not guinea pigs for another untested electoral experiment. We reject the use of AI in results collation and demand that INEC immediately abandon the plan,” it said.

The movement maintained that INEC should concentrate on rebuilding public trust following what it described as the credibility crisis associated with the 2023 elections.

Referring to alleged alterations and defacement of result sheets, it argued that the shortcomings recorded in 2023 were not the result of insufficient technology and called for improved transparency and accountability.

It demanded an electoral system that would allow results to be tracked from polling units through every stage of collation to the final declaration, with political parties, election observers, journalists and members of the public able to verify them independently.

The movement also expressed reservations about Amupitan’s warning against announcing or declaring results that INEC had not officially released.

It acknowledged that the Commission had the legal authority to declare official results but argued that the warning, issued while INEC was promoting an unfinished AI framework, raised serious questions about the Commission’s intentions and the processes it sought to control.

The movement called for a clear, transparent and independently auditable framework for every technology to be used during the elections. It also demanded that Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D and EC8E be published on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

“The votes of Nigerians belong to Nigerians. No algorithm, server, software, official or political party has the right to alter the wishes of the people,” the movement said.

Similarly, the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Senator David Mark, has opposed INEC’s plan.

In a statement released by the Office of the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mark said the party would respect electoral regulations but would not tolerate rigging or permit anyone to manipulate the process against it.

He conveyed the party’s position on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to its Abuja headquarters by the Governing Council of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development.

Mark said the ADC would adhere to INEC’s regulations and its Orange Book, which outlines the party’s guiding principles.

“We are committed to playing politics in a manner that promotes public confidence in democracy. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of good conduct as a political party. We will play by the rules. But we will not accept rigging or allow ourselves to be rigged out,” he said.

The visiting council, led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, explained that the engagement was part of its ongoing consultations with political parties and their leaders ahead of the elections.

Ariwoola reiterated the centre’s commitment to free, fair and credible elections, urging the ADC leadership to ensure that its candidates and members obey INEC’s regulations and avoid political violence.

Meanwhile, businessman and concerned Nigerian, Rowland Osazuwa, cautioned INEC against attempting any form of manipulation during the 2027 elections.

He said Nigerians were facing severe hardships and wanted to take control of their future through the 2027 electoral process.

“So, any attempt by INEC to play any kind of monkey trick will be resisted. What is INEC trying to tell us? That a process which is prone to cloning is what it wants to introduce for the 2027 election, or what?

“Look, these people still don’t understand the situation in Nigeria today. We are suffering like never before, and we want to use the 2027 election to ameliorate our suffering.

“If INEC knows that AI is prone to cloning, why is it bent on introducing it? Who is pushing INEC to introduce such a dangerous process into the 2027 election?

“Nigerians are not smiling, and INEC should know that. Anything that will bring about free, fair and credible polls is what Nigerians are yearning for, not something that will call the integrity of the process into question.

“The same INEC told us that the process was still being finalised, and this is barely three months before the election. So, when is INEC going to test the process to determine its functionality, or does INEC want to use Nigerians as guinea pigs?

“Well, all I know is that everybody, from INEC to political leaders at different levels, should be very careful because the 2027 election won’t be like the elections we have had in the past. The 2027 election would determine whether Nigeria will remain one or not. So, if INEC loves Nigeria, it should drop the idea and focus on processes that would guarantee free, fair and credible polls,” he stated.

For estate agent My Gilmor Uwandu, the proposed technology is a strategy intended to manipulate the election.

He questioned INEC’s understanding of AI, asking:

“What does INEC know about AI? Why introduce something you have already admitted is prone to faking and cloning?

“Why even introduce something that has not been tested anywhere just a few months before the 2027 election? INEC has ulterior motives; it wants to rig the election for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

“But that will not work. Nigerians don’t want anything that will tamper with the integrity of the election. So, INEC should forget about AI because we know what is happening,” he stated.

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