By Julius Peter
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled a comprehensive digital communication strategy aimed at combating artificial intelligence-generated disinformation, strengthening electoral technology and enhancing public confidence ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 General Election.
The Commission disclosed that it is already undertaking extensive preparations to ensure that its technological infrastructure is secure, resilient and capable of withstanding emerging digital threats that could undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
The disclosure was made at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), where communication scholars, media professionals, policymakers, election administrators and technology experts gathered to examine the changing dynamics of electoral communication in Africa.
The conference, themed “Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication,” focused extensively on the opportunities and risks created by rapid technological development, particularly the growing use of artificial intelligence in political communication and information dissemination.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, National Commissioner, Prof. Sani Muhammad Adam, SAN, said the Commission had commenced comprehensive preparations for the 2027 elections, with particular attention to the reliability, security and resilience of its digital systems.
According to him, the preparations include a full audit of INEC’s electoral technology infrastructure, assessment of system redundancy, penetration testing, disaster recovery planning and other measures designed to identify and address possible vulnerabilities before election day.
He also disclosed that the Commission was considering the possibility of conducting a mock presidential election to stress-test its technological systems and operational procedures ahead of the 2027 polls.
The proposed exercise, he explained, would provide an opportunity for the Commission to identify weaknesses, test its systems under realistic election conditions and ensure that corrective measures are implemented before the actual election.
Prof. Adam said the decision to strengthen the technological architecture of the electoral process was informed by lessons from the 2023 General Election.
He noted that innovations such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) played important roles in enhancing transparency and public access to electoral information.
However, he stressed that technology by itself could not guarantee public confidence in elections.
According to him, the effectiveness of electoral technology must be complemented by reliability, transparency and timely communication capable of addressing citizens’ concerns and countering false narratives.
He said the experience of the 2023 elections had demonstrated that even when technological innovations were deployed to strengthen electoral transparency, gaps in communication could create room for misinformation, speculation and distrust.
To address the emerging challenge, INEC is developing a rapid-response digital communication strategy capable of detecting, verifying and responding to misinformation in real time.
The strategy is expected to enable the Commission to communicate quickly with voters and other stakeholders whenever false or misleading information about the electoral process begins circulating online.
The Commission also plans to deepen collaboration with communication scholars, universities, media organisations, fact-checking organisations, technology companies and civil society groups as part of efforts to build a more resilient electoral information environment.
The partnerships are expected to strengthen public education, improve information verification, enhance digital literacy and create a coordinated response to false information capable of influencing voters or damaging confidence in electoral institutions.
The growing sophistication of artificial intelligence has become a major concern for election administrators globally, particularly with the increasing availability of tools capable of generating realistic photographs, videos, audio recordings and written content.
Such technologies, experts at the conference observed, could be exploited to impersonate political candidates, fabricate statements, manipulate speeches, create misleading election-related videos or spread false claims about electoral officials and institutions.
Speaking at the conference, National President of ACSPN, Prof. Rotimi Williams Olatunji, called for the establishment of an integrated electoral information integrity framework that would bring together INEC, political parties, media organisations, technology platforms, civil society organisations and academic institutions.
He said protecting the credibility of elections in the digital age could no longer be regarded as the sole responsibility of electoral management bodies.
Prof. Olatunji emphasised the need for stronger fact-checking mechanisms, artificial intelligence-content detection systems, responsible political communication and improved media literacy among citizens.
He argued that the rapid transformation of the information ecosystem required stakeholders to move beyond traditional approaches to election communication and develop coordinated strategies capable of responding to the speed and scale of digital misinformation.
According to him, citizens must also be equipped with the knowledge and skills required to critically assess information before accepting or sharing it, particularly during politically sensitive periods.
Also speaking at the conference, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, raised concerns over the potential impact of AI-generated misinformation and manipulated digital content on the 2027 elections.
Issa-Onilu warned that the increasing sophistication of artificial intelligence could make it more difficult for citizens to distinguish authentic information from fabricated content.
He therefore called on stakeholders to promote responsible digital citizenship and intensify public awareness campaigns ahead of the elections.
He stressed the importance of educating Nigerians on how to identify manipulated content, verify claims and avoid becoming conduits for the spread of false information.
The NOA Director-General maintained that protecting electoral credibility in the digital era required a combination of institutional preparedness, responsible media practice, technology safeguards and an informed citizenry.
The discussions at the ACSPN conference further underscored the changing nature of electoral communication, with social media platforms and other digital channels increasingly becoming major sources of political information for millions of Nigerians.
The conference participants noted that while digital platforms had created opportunities for faster dissemination of electoral information and greater citizen participation, they had equally created new avenues for manipulation, coordinated disinformation and political polarisation.
The emergence of generative artificial intelligence has added another layer of complexity to the challenge, making it increasingly difficult to determine the authenticity of some digital materials without specialised verification tools.
Against this backdrop, stakeholders stressed the need for election administrators and other institutions to develop systems capable of identifying emerging threats before they escalate into crises.
Participants observed that citizens’ confidence in the electoral process is influenced not only by the conduct of elections but also by the quality, speed and credibility of information released before, during and after polling.
They therefore called for greater transparency in electoral communication and urged institutions to provide timely clarification whenever controversial or misleading claims emerge.
A major highlight of the conference was the presentation of a Plaque of Honour to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, in recognition of the Commission’s contributions to strengthening democratic governance and electoral integrity in Nigeria.
The recognition further underscored the importance attached to the role of the electoral commission in deepening Nigeria’s democratic development and strengthening public confidence in the electoral process.
As Nigeria moves towards the 2027 General Election, the discussions at the ACSPN conference have placed digital information integrity at the centre of preparations for the polls.
With misinformation increasingly capable of travelling across digital platforms within minutes, stakeholders agreed that the credibility of the next election would depend not only on the efficiency of voting and result-management technologies but also on the ability of institutions and citizens to navigate the rapidly changing information environment.
The conference therefore provided a platform for stakeholders to explore practical solutions to the challenges posed by digital disruption while examining how technology could be deployed to strengthen rather than undermine democratic governance.
For INEC, the planned technology audit, security testing, disaster recovery measures, possible mock presidential election and rapid-response digital communication strategy represent efforts to ensure that lessons from previous elections are translated into stronger preparations for 2027.
For communication professionals and other stakeholders, the challenge will be to ensure that the Nigerian electorate enters the 2027 election season with access to accurate, verifiable and timely information.
With artificial intelligence reshaping the production and distribution of political content, participants at the conference agreed that safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process will require a collective effort involving election managers, political parties, journalists, technology companies, academics, civil society organisations and citizens.
The emerging consensus is that Nigeria’s 2027 electoral contest will not only be fought at polling units and through conventional campaign platforms, but also across the digital information space — making information integrity a critical component of democratic security.
