INEC and Yiaga Africa Tackle AI Threats for 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Yiaga Africa are taking measures to protect Nigeria's 2027 general elections from the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, stated that technology must not override the will of voters during the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 held in Abuja.

He highlighted that while AI can influence political information and logistics, it cannot replace human judgment or the democratic process. The 2027 elections are expected to be Africa's largest democratic exercise, with over 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in 774 local government areas.

Amupitan noted that INEC has completed 10 out of 14 major operational milestones under the Electoral Act 2026, including enhancements to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and processing over 15,000 nominations from 22 political parties. He identified threats such as deepfakes and algorithmic bias, stressing the importance of human accountability and oversight in the electoral process.