RismadarVoice Reporters
September 21, 2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned that the misuse of artificial intelligence in creating and distributing manipulated content poses a growing threat to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
INEC said advances in generative artificial intelligence had made it easier and cheaper to produce convincing fake audio, videos and images, while making such content increasingly difficult to detect.
The commission raised the concern in Abuja on Monday during a capacity-building workshop organised for its Public Affairs Officers from across the country.
The National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the threat posed by AI went beyond the production of fabricated content.
According to him, AI could also be used to create highly targeted messages aimed at exposing different groups of voters to conflicting narratives.
“Generative AI has made it cheaper and considerably harder to detect manipulated audio, video and images,” Haruna said.
He stressed the need for electoral technology and communication to be treated as interconnected elements of election management as the country prepares for the 2027 polls.
Haruna said the threat was “no longer a distant, theoretical risk” and required electoral authorities to strengthen their ability to identify and respond to manipulated information.
He referenced a recent position by INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, that the credibility of elections now depended not only on physical electoral materials and technologies such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, but also on the information environment in which voters made decisions.
According to Haruna, Amupitan had advocated treating electoral technology and electoral communication “not as separate concerns but as a single discipline.”
Haruna said the workshop, themed “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027,” was designed to prepare INEC’s communication officers for emerging information challenges.
He described Public Affairs Officers as the commission’s frontline communicators at the state level and said the credibility of INEC’s public communication depended significantly on their work.
“The credibility of INEC’s communication, in many respects, begins with the work you do,” he said.
Haruna said participants would receive training in information verification, escalation procedures and the delivery of clear and consistent messages.
He added that the skills acquired would be particularly important as political activities and information flows intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
In her welcome remarks, INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said the officers played an important role in shaping public perception of the commission.
“It is through you that Nigerians form much of their impression of who we are, what we stand for, and how reliable our information is,” she said.
Eta-Messi noted that INEC operated under constant public scrutiny and frequently faced attempts to misrepresent its activities and undermine public confidence.
She disclosed that the workshop was not intended to be a one-off programme, saying additional capacity-building initiatives were being planned with the support of development partners.
She described the training as the beginning of sustained engagement aimed at ensuring that INEC’s communication officers were adequately prepared for their responsibilities.
The Deputy Director, Information and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the programme would strengthen the practical communication skills required by Public Affairs Officers in their daily duties and during the 2027 election period.
Ifogah said the training would also clarify communication and escalation channels involving Public Affairs Officers, heads of department, the Voter Education and Publicity Department and Resident Electoral Commissioners.
He added that participants would be trained to ensure greater consistency in press statements, talking points and social media communication.
The programme would also focus on monitoring the information environment and responding effectively to misinformation and disinformation.
Ifogah said the officers would be introduced to the responsible use of artificial intelligence in communication work, including its practical applications, limitations and safeguards relating to confidentiality and verification.
He said participants were expected to leave the workshop with a common understanding of the standards of accuracy, consistency and professionalism required of INEC Public Affairs Officers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
