ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised an alarm over potential digital sabotage ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that fabricated audio and video deepfakes could be deployed on election eve to falsely declare a postponement of voting.
The electoral body cautioned that bad actors could strategically release generated media during the late hours preceding polling day to exploit the narrow timeframe available for official verification and public clarification, thereby confusing voters and threatening turnout.
Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity, themed “Beyond the Ballot: AI, FIMI, and the Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections,” INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), stated that while artificial intelligence itself is not an enemy of democracy, its uncontrolled misuse poses a severe risk to political stability.
Prof. Amupitan noted that generative AI tools have significantly lowered financial and technical barriers for perpetrators, making high-fidelity voice cloning and realistic video synthesis easily accessible for electoral manipulation.
Reaffirming the commission’s position, INEC stated that official election schedules remain strictly governed by statutory timelines and urged the public, civil society organizations, and media outlets to rely exclusively on verified commission platforms for authentic election updates.
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