THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in its results management process as part of measures to strengthen electoral administration ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Thursday at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference in Enugu, where he outlined the Commission’s technological and operational preparations for the next general elections.
Amupitan, who was represented at the event by the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Enugu State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, said that the Commission had also established an Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department and developed an AI Roadmap and Governance Framework based on human oversight, transparency and accountability, data protection, cybersecurity and public trust.
According to the INEC Chairman, the Commission has commenced using intelligent tools to scan results records and identify discrepancies or administrative errors before final validation.
He stressed, however, that automated systems would not replace human decision-making.
“AI must strengthen electoral integrity, improve public service, and always remain under human control,” Amupitan said.
He explained that every automated result check would remain subject to human auditing and legal verification.
The INEC Chairman said the Commission’s technological initiatives were anchored on relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, including the Constitution, Electoral Act 2026, Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and Cybercrimes Act 2024.
Amupitan also cited the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election as part of the Commission’s operational preparations for the 2027 polls.
He said 3,556 of the state’s 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m.
According to him, INEC deployed 5,130 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices for the exercise, including 1,328 backup units.
He added that original result sheets, Form EC8A, were scanned and uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Amupitan, however, noted that the Osun exercise was conducted in a single state, while the 2027 general elections would cover the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission had commenced a nationwide six-zone Interactive Meetings and Readiness Assessment tour.
He said the exercise formally began in Lagos on September 7, 2026, as part of efforts to assess preparedness ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the timetable he presented, the Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Amupitan said INEC was also strengthening its global technology and cybersecurity partnerships, following engagements with Microsoft, Google and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
He said the partnerships were focused on areas including cybersecurity resilience, cloud infrastructure protection, threat mitigation, technical capacity building and responsible AI integration.
The INEC Chairman said the Commission could not secure the electoral information environment alone, stressing that the media had a critical role in preventing the spread of false election-related information.
He urged editors to avoid premature publication of unofficial election results and warned against amplifying privately collated figures that could create controversy.
