Independent National Electoral Commission, on Tuesday, warned that the misuse of generative artificial intelligence (AI) poses a growing threat to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
INEC said manipulated audio, video and images, as well as targeted messaging designed to expose different groups of voters to conflicting narratives, had made the threat “no longer a distant, theoretical risk”.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, raised the alarm in Abuja while declaring open a capacity-building workshop for the commission’s Public Affairs Officers from across the country.
According to Haruna, generative AI has made it cheaper and more difficult to detect manipulated content, warning that its misuse went beyond the production of fake materials.
He said the technology could also be used to target different groups of voters with conflicting messages capable of influencing the information environment around elections.
Haruna said INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had recently warned that electoral credibility no longer depended solely on ballot papers, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and result sheets, but also on the information environment in which voters formed their judgments.
He said Amupitan had called for electoral technology and communication to be treated as interconnected aspects of the electoral process.
Haruna said the workshop, themed, “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027,” was organised in response to the emerging challenges.
He described PAOs as the frontline communicators of INEC at the state level, saying the credibility of the commission’s communication depended largely on their work.
He said participants would be trained in verification, escalation procedures and clear and consistent messaging, which he said would be crucial as the 2027 elections approached.
Haruna commended the Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) Department for designing what he described as a practical and skills-based programme tailored to challenges confronting PAOs at the state level.
In her remarks, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said PAOs played a major role in shaping Nigerians’ perception of INEC and the reliability of information released by the commission.
She said INEC operated under constant public scrutiny and was frequently confronted with attempts to misrepresent its activities and undermine public confidence.
Eta-Messi said the training was not a one-off exercise, adding that further capacity-building programmes were at an advanced stage of planning with support from development partners.
She described the workshop as the beginning of sustained engagement aimed at preparing PAOs for their responsibilities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Information and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the training was designed to strengthen the practical communication skills required by PAOs in their daily work and in the build-up to the 2027 elections.
He said the workshop would clarify escalation channels among PAOs, heads of department, the VEP department and Resident Electoral Commissioners.
