The Obidient Movement has rejected what it described as the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) plan to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the verification and management of election results during the 2027 general elections, arguing that the technology should not be introduced into such a sensitive process while the Commission’s governing framework is still being finalised.
The group’s position followed INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosure that the Commission had established a dedicated AI division within its ICT department and integrated automated AI auditing tools into its results verification process. Amupitan said the tools would operate under a five-pillar AI governance framework with mandatory human oversight, while acknowledging that the Commission’s AI governance policy was still being finalised.
In a statement signed by its Media and Communications Directorate, the Obidient Movement described the proposed deployment as “reckless and unacceptable,” insisting that Nigerians should not be subjected to what it characterised as an untested technological experiment in election-result management.
The movement argued that INEC should first restore confidence in the electoral system following the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election before introducing additional technological layers into the results process.
It particularly cited the technical difficulties experienced by the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the 2023 presidential election. INEC’s own post-election review acknowledged that presidential polling-unit result uploads initially failed because of internal server errors and a configuration problem in mapping presidential results to polling units. The Commission said the problem was subsequently addressed through software “hotfixes,” after which uploads resumed.
The Obidient Movement, however, went beyond the documented technical explanation, alleging that the 2023 experience demonstrated a lack of good faith by the electoral commission. It warned that Nigerians would resist any system that could potentially allow election results to be altered, manipulated or manufactured through technology.
The movement also questioned the timing of INEC’s warning to media organisations against independently announcing or publishing privately collated election results.
Amupitan recently warned media organisations to verify election-related information with INEC and avoid declaring results based on private collation. He said the Electoral Act gives INEC the authority to declare official election results and urged newsrooms to establish fact-checking desks and employ digital forensic tools.
The Obidient Movement said the warning deserved scrutiny, particularly because INEC is simultaneously expanding the use of AI in its electoral technology architecture.
However, the Commission has presented its position differently. INEC says AI is being developed principally as an auditing and verification tool, rather than as a replacement for human officials. According to the Commission, mandatory human oversight will remain part of the process.
The movement nevertheless maintained that every stage of the results-management process must be transparent, independently auditable and capable of being traced back to the polling unit.
It demanded that INEC abandon plans to use AI in election-results collation and publish a comprehensive framework governing every technology to be deployed in the electoral process.
It further called for polling-unit results to remain accessible and verifiable by political parties, election observers, journalists and citizens, and urged INEC to publish Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D and EC8E on IReV.
The group also called for safeguards to ensure that the final outcome of the 2027 elections reflects the votes cast by Nigerians rather than decisions made by political actors, electoral officials or technological systems.
The statement raised allegations and rumours concerning alleged political relationships involving INEC leadership and members of the political establishment, including claims of meetings in France involving the INEC chairman and political figures. Those allegations were presented by the Obidient Movement but were not independently established in the material reviewed for this report. They therefore remain allegations rather than established facts.
The controversy comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 elections. The Commission’s official timetable currently places the presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027, with governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for February 6, 2027.
With the election approaching, the dispute over AI highlights a broader question confronting Nigeria’s electoral system: how can technology be used to improve the speed and accuracy of election administration without weakening transparency, human accountability and public confidence?
For the Obidient Movement, the answer is clear: every result must remain traceable to the polling unit, independently verifiable and auditable.
The group concluded that Nigerians would not accept any electoral arrangement that permits technology, bureaucracy or political influence to override the ballots cast at polling units.
Its central demand is that every vote must count, every result must be verifiable, and the final declaration must reflect the choice of Nigerian voters.
