INEC Chairman Affirms Citizens Will Decide 2027 Elections

Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asserted that no algorithm will dictate the results of Nigeria's 2027 general elections. He made this declaration at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026, which took place in Abuja and was co-convened by INEC and Yiaga Africa.

The forum included electoral commission heads from across Africa, political party leaders, and representatives from various sectors. Amupitan noted that with 92 days remaining until the elections, artificial intelligence will influence how Nigerians access and interpret information.

He described the upcoming election as the largest democratic exercise in Africa, with over 103 million registered voters and 176,846 polling units. INEC has completed ten of the fourteen operational milestones outlined in the Electoral Act 2026, including procuring additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) units and launching online voter registration.

Amupitan emphasized that human oversight will remain crucial in result collation, voter accreditation, and candidate qualification.