The integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections is too important to be subjected to secrecy, technological manipulation or political engineering. Allegations that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, is associated with plans to use artificial intelligence to generate election results from the Southwest and local government areas affected by security attacks raise serious questions that demand urgent clarification.
These are grave allegations. They must neither be dismissed casually nor presented as established facts without credible evidence. However, given the growing public anxiety over the integrity of the voters’ register, alleged artificial intelligence-generated voter photographs and concerns about electoral transparency, Nigerians deserve clear answers from the electoral commission.
The central question is simple: can INEC guarantee that every result declared in 2027 will originate from votes actually cast, counted, documented and verified at the polling units?
Elections Cannot Be Conducted Through Artificially Generated Results
Artificial intelligence has legitimate applications in electoral administration, including data analysis, logistics, cybersecurity and the detection of irregularities. But technology must never become a substitute for the actual votes of citizens.
No algorithm, software, artificial intelligence platform or centrally generated database should have the authority to manufacture election results or replace polling-unit evidence.
The Electoral Act and established electoral procedures must remain the foundation of the process. Results must reflect the votes cast by eligible voters, supported by the appropriate polling-unit documentation and transparent collation procedures.
Any attempt to use technology to create results that cannot be traced to actual votes would constitute a fundamental assault on democratic accountability.
### Insecurity Must Not Become an Excuse for Electoral Manipulation
The allegation concerning local government areas affected by attacks is particularly troubling.
Where insecurity prevents voters from accessing polling units or disrupts election activities, INEC must establish transparent and lawful procedures for dealing with the affected locations.
The inability to conduct voting in a particular community cannot automatically translate into permission to manufacture results for that community.
Nigerians must be assured that no local government area, polling unit or geographical region will have fictitious votes attributed to it under the cover of insecurity, technological innovation or administrative discretion.
The Southwest, like every other region, must be subjected to the same electoral standards. No political party or candidate should enjoy an artificial advantage through the manipulation of results.
Amupitan Must Address the Allegations
Professor Amupitan and INEC owe Nigerians an explanation.
The commission should publicly clarify whether artificial intelligence will be deployed in any aspect of result generation, collation or transmission during the 2027 elections.
It should also disclose the safeguards against unauthorised alterations, fabricated records, duplicate results and the injection of figures unsupported by polling-unit result sheets.
Independent technical audits, transparent access to electoral documentation and effective monitoring by political parties, civil society organisations and accredited observers are essential.
The credibility of an election cannot depend solely on assurances from the institution conducting it. It must be demonstrable through verifiable evidence.
Nigeria Cannot Afford Another Electoral Credibility Crisis
Nigeria is approaching a defining democratic moment. Millions of citizens are looking towards 2027 with expectations of a credible election capable of producing leadership through the genuine expression of popular will.
INEC must understand that public confidence is earned through transparency, not official statements.
The commission must not allow artificial intelligence to become a source of suspicion, fear or political controversy. Technology should strengthen democracy, not weaken it.
We therefore call on INEC to address these allegations openly, permit independent scrutiny of its technological systems and guarantee that every declared vote can be traced to a legitimate electoral process.
Our position is unequivocal: No AI-generated votes, no manufactured results, no fictitious polling-unit figures and no electoral manipulation under the guise of insecurity.
Nigeria belongs to its people, and the mandate of the people must never be manufactured by technology.
2027 must be decided by Nigerian voters, not by algorithms, political interests or anyone sitting behind a computer.
