By Zainab Bakare
The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned that the misuse of artificial intelligence to create and spread manipulated content poses a growing threat to the 2027 general elections.
INEC says the increasing accessibility of generative AI has made fabricated audio, videos and images cheaper to produce and more difficult to detect.
The commission raise the concern in a statement signed by its Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, on Monday.
National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, spoke in Abuja while opening a capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers from across the states.
Haruna say AI could also be used to create highly targeted messages designed to present conflicting narratives to different groups of voters.
He say the development made it necessary for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated as interconnected aspects of election management.
Haruna recall that INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), had said electoral credibility now depends not only on ballot papers, BVAS machines and result sheets but also on the information environment in which voters make decisions.
He said the workshop, themed “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027,” would equip INEC’s public affairs officers with skills in verification, escalation and consistent communication.
Eta-Messi add that the officers play a major role in shaping public perception of INEC and must be prepared to counter attempts to misrepresent the commission’s work and undermine public confidence.
Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the training would strengthen communication skills, clarify escalation channels and improve INEC’s response to misinformation, disinformation and the responsible use of AI ahead of the 2027 elections.
