INEC, EU sound alarm on AI threats to 2027 Nigerian elections

Nigeria's election commission and the European Union have jointly flagged artificial intelligence as a significant threat to the integrity of the 2027 general elections. The warnings emerged at a National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity held in Abuja, where officials detailed how AI-generated content could compromise the credibility of the voting process and trigger public confusion or violence.

EU Ambassador Gautier Mignot stated that Nigeria's elections could be undermined entirely through digital manipulation tactics, even if no actual ballots are altered or voting procedures disrupted. The threats identified include fabricated election results, synthetic audio impersonating election officials, manipulated video content, and coordinated false announcements designed to suppress voter participation.

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan emphasized that these digital threats require a coordinated response across multiple institutions. He called for action involving the election commission, security agencies, media outlets, technology platforms, social media companies and fact-checking organisations to identify and neutralise misinformation before it erodes public trust.

Former INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega, speaking at the same summit, advocated for robust protections against information manipulation and suggested that AI tools could themselves be deployed to strengthen electoral information security. The EU cautioned that strategies to combat AI-driven misinformation must not be weaponised to suppress legitimate political debate, silence journalists or restrict press freedom.

This warning reflects concerns that security measures introduced in the name of electoral protection could create openings for authoritarian overreach. The summit represented a rare coordination between international observers, Nigerian electoral authorities and domestic experts on a single emerging electoral vulnerability ahead of the 2027 polls.