INEC Warns AI-Generated Fake Content Could Disrupt 2027 Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over the growing use of artificial intelligence to create and circulate manipulated information, warning that such content could pose a significant challenge to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The commission said the rapid development and increasing accessibility of generative artificial intelligence had made it easier and cheaper to produce convincing fake audio recordings, videos and images, while also making such materials more difficult to detect.

INEC said the development could affect the way voters receive and assess information before and during the elections, potentially creating confusion and undermining public confidence in the electoral process.

The warning was contained in a statement issued on Monday and signed by the commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi.

The National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, raised the concern in Abuja while declaring open a capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers drawn from INEC offices across the country.

Haruna said the threat posed by artificial intelligence went beyond the creation of fabricated photographs, videos and audio recordings.
According to him, AI tools could also be used to produce highly targeted messages designed to present different and conflicting narratives to different groups of voters.

“Generative AI has made it cheaper and considerably harder to detect manipulated audio, video and images,” Haruna said.
He stressed that the emerging challenge had made it increasingly important for electoral technology and electoral communication to be considered as interconnected aspects of election management.

Haruna explained that while technology was already an important part of Nigeria’s electoral process, the information environment surrounding elections had become equally important because voters increasingly depend on digital platforms and social media for political and electoral information.

He also recalled recent remarks by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), who said electoral credibility could no longer be assessed solely through physical election materials and technological tools such as ballot papers, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and result sheets.

Haruna said the INEC Chairman had emphasised the importance of the broader information environment in which voters form opinions and make electoral judgments.

According to him, Amupitan had called for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated “not as separate concerns but as a single discipline.”
The workshop, themed “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027,” is designed to prepare INEC’s Public Affairs Officers for the communication challenges expected to emerge as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.

Haruna described the Public Affairs Officers as the frontline communicators of INEC in the states, noting that the credibility of the commission’s communication depended significantly on how information was handled and presented to the public.

He said the officers would receive training in information verification, escalation procedures and the development of clear and consistent messages.

The skills, he added, would be particularly important in situations where false information spreads rapidly across social media and other digital platforms.

In her welcome remarks, Eta-Messi said the Public Affairs Officers had an important responsibility in shaping how Nigerians perceive the electoral commission and its activities.

She said Nigerians often formed their impressions of INEC, its operations and the reliability of its information through communication provided by the commission’s officers.

“It is through you that Nigerians form much of their impression of who we are, what we stand for, and how reliable our information is,” she said.

Eta-Messi noted that INEC operates under constant public scrutiny and regularly faces attempts to misrepresent its activities or create doubts about its decisions.

She said the commission therefore needed well-trained communication officers who could respond quickly and accurately when misinformation or disinformation emerged.

The director also disclosed that the capacity-building programme was not intended to be a one-off exercise.

According to her, additional training and capacity-building interventions were already at an advanced stage of planning with support from development partners.

She described the current workshop as “the beginning of sustained engagement” aimed at ensuring that Public Affairs Officers were adequately prepared to carry out their responsibilities.

Also speaking at the programme, INEC’s Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the training was designed to strengthen the practical communication skills required by Public Affairs Officers in their daily duties.

Ifogah said the programme would clarify communication and escalation channels among Public Affairs Officers, heads of department, the Voter Education and Publicity Department and Resident Electoral Commissioners.

He explained that clearer communication channels would help officers respond more effectively to emerging issues and ensure that information released by different offices remained consistent.

The training would also strengthen the officers’ ability to prepare press statements, talking points and social media messages while improving their capacity to monitor developments across the wider information ecosystem.

Ifogah said particular attention would be paid to identifying and responding to misinformation and disinformation, especially as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.

Participants would also be introduced to the responsible use of artificial intelligence in communication work.
The training is expected to cover practical applications of AI, its limitations and the safeguards required to protect confidentiality and ensure that information is properly verified before publication.

Ifogah said the ultimate objective was to ensure that INEC’s communication remained accurate, consistent and professional across all levels of the commission.

He added that participants were expected to leave the workshop with “a shared appreciation of the standards of accuracy, consistency and professionalism required of every Public Affairs Officer of this Commission,” particularly as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue.

The development comes amid growing reliance on digital platforms for political communication, increasing the importance of effective verification and timely dissemination of credible electoral information as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 polls.

Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE

Koikimedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep