The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that artificial intelligence-generated audio and videos could be used to spread false information and mislead Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, raised the alarm on Monday, November 2, 2026, in Abuja during the National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity, themed “Beyond the Ballot: AI, FIMI, and the Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections.”

He cautioned that manipulated recordings could be circulated to falsely announce the postponement of elections, potentially confusing voters and undermining confidence in the electoral process.

Amupitan cited the 2023 Slovak election, during which an AI-generated audio recording of a political party leader allegedly discussing vote-buying went viral, leaving authorities unable to debunk it in time.

“When a manipulated video achieves viral saturation within thirty minutes, a formal text rebuttal issued three hours later struggles to undo the cognitive damage,” he said.

To address the threat, the INEC chairman said the commission was developing mechanisms to respond to misinformation in real time, strengthen its digital infrastructure and collaborate with major social media platforms.

He listed TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Telegram and X among the platforms with which INEC was engaging, adding that the commission had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TikTok.

Amupitan also said voter education would be expanded beyond teaching Nigerians how to vote to include how to verify electoral information.

He noted that the initiative would involve social media companies, telecommunications operators, media organisations, fact-checkers and security agencies.

The INEC chairman stressed that the objective was not to police public opinion but to protect the integrity and authenticity of information relating to the electoral process