By Julius Peter, Abuja
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has said the successful deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Nigeria’s electoral process will depend not merely on the sophistication of technology, but on the strength of institutions, governance frameworks and safeguards established to regulate its use.
Amupitan stated this on Thursday, September 10, 2026, in Ottawa, Canada, while addressing the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, where he presented Nigeria’s experience and lessons in institutionalising responsible AI for electoral administration.
The INEC Chairman was accompanied to the conference by the Commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Dr. Lawrence Bayode.
He said the increasing influence of algorithms, automated systems and data architectures on democratic processes had made responsible technological innovation an important issue for election management bodies across the world.
According to him, Nigeria has progressively adopted technology to improve the credibility, efficiency and transparency of its electoral processes, citing the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and Automated Biometrics Identification System (ABIS) as some of the innovations deployed by the Commission.
He explained that the technologies were introduced to reduce human error, limit opportunities for manual interference and improve the integrity of electoral procedures.
Amupitan, however, cautioned that the adoption of AI should not be driven by technology for its own sake, stressing that every technological intervention must demonstrate clear benefits to electoral administration, public service delivery and citizens’ confidence in the electoral system.
«“AI must strengthen electoral integrity, improve public service, and always remain under human control,” he said.»
The Chairman noted that the sheer scale of Nigeria’s electoral operations made the responsible use of technology increasingly important.
He disclosed that Nigeria has more than 93 million registered voters, approximately 180,000 polling units and about 185,000 BVAS devices, with elections conducted simultaneously across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Such a large and complex electoral environment, he said, required systems capable of processing huge volumes of information efficiently while maintaining accuracy, security, transparency and accountability.
Amupitan also outlined the legal and regulatory framework underpinning INEC’s deployment of technology.
He referenced the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2026, INEC Regulations, the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Cybercrimes Act 2024 as important pillars governing the use of technology and data in the electoral process.
He particularly highlighted provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 dealing with the voters’ register, electronic voting devices, biometric accreditation, electronic transmission of results and the use of accreditation and transmitted results in the collation and declaration of election results.
According to him, the legal framework is critical to ensuring that technological innovation remains subject to established electoral rules and democratic accountability.
The INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission had commenced institutional preparations for responsible AI adoption, stressing that the initiative was being treated as an organisational and governance priority rather than simply an ICT project.
He said INEC had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department and developed an AI Roadmap to guide the phased adoption of AI applications.
The Commission, he added, had also developed an AI Governance Framework which is currently undergoing internal approval, while AI literacy and technical capacity-building programmes had commenced for staff.
He explained that INEC had adopted a multidisciplinary approach involving the ICT, Operations, Legal, Voter Education, Risk Management and other departments.
“Responsible AI begins with institutional readiness — not technology,” Amupitan said.
They are human oversight; transparency and accountability; data protection and privacy; cybersecurity and risk management; and operational value and public trust.
He stressed that AI would remain an aid to election officials and would not replace human responsibility for electoral decisions.
According to him, the Commission would ensure that automated systems support officials in performing their duties while final responsibility for critical electoral decisions remains with authorised human personnel.
Giving an insight into one of INEC’s AI initiatives, Amupitan disclosed that the Commission had introduced an intelligent Results Management process designed to assist in identifying discrepancies in election result records.
Under the process, polling unit result forms are digitised, while information is extracted from scanned Forms EC8A and compared with data entered on the BVAS.
Where inconsistencies are detected, the system automatically flags them for review by election officials before publication.
The Chairman emphasised that the system does not alter election results.
Rather, he said, it serves as an analytical tool that helps electoral officials identify discrepancies or issues requiring human attention.
This approach, according to him, demonstrates how AI can support electoral administration without taking over the authority or responsibility of election officials.
Amupitan said successful AI deployment in electoral administration required significantly more than software and computing infrastructure.
He listed trained personnel, AI literacy, redesigned operational procedures, structured electoral datasets, high-quality digitised records, secure platforms, reliable computing resources, systems integration, audit trails, risk controls and effective collaboration across departments as essential components of responsible AI adoption.
He said INEC would assess its AI initiatives based on practical outcomes rather than technological novelty.
The indicators, he explained, include reductions in processing errors, improved operational efficiency, reliability and resilience, staff acceptance, security performance, public confidence and the sustainability of solutions for nationwide deployment.
He added that AI initiatives that failed to demonstrate sufficient value would be reviewed and refined before being expanded.
Beyond internal election operations, the INEC Chairman said the Commission was also exploring the use of AI-powered citizen services to improve voter engagement and access to electoral information.
Such initiatives, he said, include intelligent voter information services, AI-assisted responses to frequently asked questions, support for voter registration processes and faster access to electoral information.
He explained that such applications could help citizens obtain relevant electoral information more quickly while reducing pressure on conventional channels of voter assistance.
However, he maintained that any such deployment would have to meet INEC’s standards on accuracy, privacy, cybersecurity, accountability and public trust.
Reflecting on INEC’s experience, Amupitan said successful AI adoption required strong leadership commitment, skilled personnel, effective governance, high-quality data, human oversight, continuous evaluation and transparent public communication.
He therefore described responsible AI as an organisational capability rather than merely an Information Technology project.
According to him, election management bodies must build institutions capable of understanding, governing, auditing and responsibly deploying AI systems before attempting to scale up technological applications.
Looking ahead, the INEC Chairman said the Commission’s vision was to progressively build an AI-enabled Election Management Body.
He said this would involve strengthening institutional AI governance, expanding staff capacity, responsibly scaling successful AI applications, enhancing cybersecurity and resilience, and preserving transparency, accountability and public confidence.
He reiterated that INEC would introduce AI only in areas where the technology could demonstrate measurable improvements in electoral administration and where its deployment remained consistent with Nigeria’s legal and ethical standards.
Amupitan said the ultimate objective of AI in electoral administration should not be to replace electoral institutions or human decision-makers, but to make democratic institutions more effective, transparent, resilient and responsive.
Concluding his presentation, he said the quality of an electoral AI system should ultimately be judged not by how advanced the technology is, but by the institutions, safeguards and democratic values governing its use.
«“Responsible AI is not defined by the sophistication of the technology, but by the strength of the institutions that govern it,” he said.»
