The Independent National Electoral Commission has raised the alarm over plans by purveyors of misinformation to circulate fabricated audio and video messages announcing the postponement of the 2027 general elections, warning that such activities could disrupt voting and create confusion among Nigerians.
The commission said the use of artificial intelligence to produce convincing fake announcements could pose a serious threat to electoral credibility, particularly if the materials were released shortly before polling when there might be little time to verify or counter them.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity, with the theme, “Beyond the Ballot: AI, FIMI, and the Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections.”
Amupitan identified the period immediately preceding elections as a critical window for digital misinformation, explaining that those seeking to manipulate the electoral process could deliberately release false information when fact-checkers and relevant institutions would struggle to respond promptly.
He illustrated the danger with the 2023 parliamentary election in Slovakia, where an AI-generated audio recording allegedly featuring a political party leader discussing vote buying circulated two days before voting, during the election silence period.
According to him, the recording spread before fact-checkers, electoral authorities and media organisations could establish its authenticity or respond effectively.
“This case proves that public awareness alone cannot counter well-funded, hyper-targeted digital manipulation,” the INEC chairman said.
He warned that delayed responses to fabricated materials could allow false information to gain widespread acceptance before authorities had an opportunity to correct it.
“When a manipulated video achieves viral saturation within thirty minutes of release, a formal text rebuttal issued three hours later struggles to undo the cognitive damage,” he added.
To prevent such incidents during the 2027 elections, Amupitan said INEC was developing mechanisms that would enable it to identify and counter viral misinformation within minutes of its emergence.
He listed rapid-response communication, technological safeguards and intensified voter education among the measures being considered by the commission.
On voter education, the INEC chairman said the commission intended to expand its public awareness campaigns beyond explaining voting procedures to teaching citizens how to authenticate electoral information.
He said voters would be equipped to distinguish genuine INEC announcements from manipulated messages and identify official channels through which election-related information could be verified.
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC was strengthening its digital communication infrastructure and engaging major social media platforms to address the growing threat of AI-generated misinformation.
He listed TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and X among the platforms involved in the broader engagement.
“We already have an MOU with TikTok,” he disclosed.
The INEC chairman called for stronger cooperation among technology companies, telecommunications operators, journalists, media organisations, independent fact-checkers and security agencies to protect the integrity of electoral information.
He urged social media companies to establish expedited procedures for identifying and reviewing manipulated content, including the tagging or removal of materials proven to be deceptive.
He also called on telecommunications operators and media organisations to develop reliable channels for transmitting verified announcements from relevant institutions.
Similarly, Amupitan advocated direct communication channels between independent journalists, fact-checkers and designated INEC officials to enable swift verification of suspicious information.
He said the summit was expected to produce three major outcomes: clearly defined inter-agency response procedures, established institutional fact-checking desks and simulation exercises to test responses to AI-driven electoral crises.
According to him, INEC and one of its development partners had recently completed a strategic communication workshop where some of the anticipated scenarios were simulated and addressed.
Beyond fabricated information, the chairman warned of what is known as the ‘Liar’s Dividend’, a situation in which the widespread availability of AI-generated falsehoods makes people question the authenticity of genuine information.
He, however, stressed that the proposed interventions were not designed to interfere with political debate or restrict citizens’ constitutional rights to freedom of expression.
“The goal is not to police opinion, regulate political debate, or restrict citizens’ freedom of expression. The sole objective is to protect the authenticity of operational election information so that when a citizen makes a choice at the ballot box, that choice is based on genuine facts rather than engineered deception,” he said.
Amupitan further disclosed that INEC had begun preparations for the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections, saying the integrity of information disseminated before and during the polls would be critical to public confidence.
He recalled that Section 98(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, requires political campaigns to end 24 hours before election day.
Consequently, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to end on January 14, 2027, while campaigns for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will close on February 4, 2027.
The summit is being supported under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria III framework.
Amupitan urged participants to ensure that the meeting produced actionable strategies and institutional commitments rather than recommendations that would remain unimplemented after the event.
“Let our goal be certain: to ensure that by 2027, the Nigerian voter is empowered by information, not paralysed by it,” he said.
