By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Nigeria is working towards a coordinated framework to combat artificial intelligence (AI)-driven disinformation and foreign information manipulation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Delivering the keynote address at a two-day National Summit on AI, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), and Electoral Information Integrity in Abuja, themed “Beyond the Ballots: Safeguarding Electoral Information Integrity in the Age of AI, Prof. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika warned that AI-generated voice clones, manipulated videos and automated messages could mislead voters, discourage participation and undermine confidence in election results.
She said false messages tailored in local languages, including Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin, could be used to spread fake security alerts and misleading voting instructions. She called for stronger collaboration among the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, media organizations, technology platforms and civil society groups to protect electoral credibility.
Ogwezzy-Ndisika also called for an Electoral Information Integrity Response Protocol featuring early threat detection, independent verification, digital evidence preservation, rapid public communication and post-incident reviews.
She also urged stakeholders to distinguish domestic partisan disinformation from foreign information manipulation, noting that foreign operations could use local influencers and digital agencies to spread narratives, complicating efforts to establish their origins.
Reviewing Nigeria’s electoral experience since 2015, she said the use of fabricated result sheets, cloned official statements and manipulated videos during the 2023 elections highlighted the growing threat to public confidence in electoral technology and results.
However, she cautioned that efforts to combat disinformation must not become a pretext for censorship, stressing the need to protect freedom of expression, press freedom, data privacy and due process.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, said electoral threats increasingly extended beyond physical voting processes to include synthetic media, fake electoral directives and fabricated result announcements capable of triggering public panic.
He disclosed that INEC had established an AI unit to address emerging technological challenges, while calling for stronger voter education, improved institutional communication and rapid-response mechanisms to counter false information.
Amupitan urged technology platforms, media organizations, civil society groups and security agencies to coordinate their responses while respecting citizens’ rights and avoiding the suppression of legitimate political expression.
Former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, described the summit as timely, saying effective preparations for the 2027 elections would require institutions to anticipate threats, respond quickly and sustain public confidence.
Jega also urged INEC to consider using official-data chatbots to provide reliable electoral information and help citizens verify claims circulating online.
The European Union Ambassador, Gautier Mignot, said AI could improve communication and accessibility but could also make deception easier. He called for early preparation, cross-sector cooperation and safeguards to ensure that efforts against disinformation did not undermine democratic freedoms.
Representing the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Dr. Diri stressed that electoral integrity depended not only on voting and counting but also on the quality of information available to citizens before, during and after elections.
He called for responsible journalism, clear communication by electoral institutions and public education to help citizens identify credible information.
The summit is expected to develop practical recommendations for a coordinated national response to electoral disinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
