AI-driven disinformation is the main threat to the 2027 general elections – Amupitan

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan has warned that growing AI-driven disinformation poses a grave threat to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

This is contained in a statement by INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi.

Eta-Messi cited Anupitan as a warning in a speech delivered on Wednesday at the 13th annual international conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Practitioners of Nigeria (ACSPN) in Abuja.

Amupitan was represented on the occasion by a national commissioner, Sani Adam.

The conference had as its theme: “Media, technology and elections in Africa: addressing the digital revolution and the new dynamics of electoral communication”.

Amupitan said generative AI has made it increasingly cheap and difficult to detect manipulated video, audio and images.

He cited documented cases of manipulated political content during recent election cycles in West and East Africa, including footage circulating around Nigeria’s 2023 presidential contest.

He said such content could spread to millions of social media users before verification was possible, warning that the danger was not just outright falsification but also algorithmic micro-targeting.

This according to him allows conflicting messages to reach narrow segments of the electorate without a shared factual basis.

Amupitan said INEC’s credibility now rests largely on how information about its processes was understood and trusted, particularly on voting integrity, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and result sheets.

He noted that the implementation of BVAS and INEC’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV) was designed to address a long-standing credibility gap in national elections by giving citizens the ability to view polling unit results before they can be changed during the collation process.

The INEC president acknowledged that the 2023 general elections demonstrated that such technology could become a source of public doubt if it underperforms.

He added that legitimacy will only be gained when systems work reliably, are well understood and honestly explained when they fall short.

Amupitan revealed that INEC was carrying out a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems, covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery planning,

He said the commission is also exploring holding a mock presidential election before 2027 to test accreditation, broadcast and display of results under conditions similar to Election Day.

On the commission’s preparations for 2027, Amupitan confirmed that INEC had proposed a substantial budget with significant allocations for election technology and operations, including new accreditation devices to replace those lost or damaged in the last cycle.

He said that while the full release of funds is still awaited, the Commission’s ICT team has already involved manufacturers in procurement, planning the technology audit and simulating the election process along with finalizing the budget.

Amupitan, however, cautioned that solutions adopted elsewhere need to be adapted to Nigeria’s realities in terms of internet access, linguistic diversity and institutional trust,

He stressed that INEC’s response to disinformation would be to provide better and faster information instead of restricting legitimate journalism or civic dissent.

The INEC Chairman reiterated the commission’s commitment to strengthening its technology and transparency as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.