Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan (SAN), has declared that artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms will not determine the outcome of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, insisting that only the electorate has the constitutional authority to choose the country’s leaders.
Amupitan made the assertion on Wednesday at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, organised by INEC in partnership with Yiaga Africa under the theme, “Safeguarding the 2027 General Elections in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
According to him, while emerging technologies will play an important role in election administration, they must remain tools that support transparency, efficiency and accountability rather than replace democratic decision-making.
“Algorithms will not, and must never, decide the 2027 vote. The choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people,” Amupitan said.
He noted that although AI can predict trends, optimise operations and analyse voter behaviour, it lacks the legitimacy and authority vested in citizens through the electoral process.
The INEC chairman, however, acknowledged that artificial intelligence would significantly influence the environment in which the elections are conducted.
“AI will undeniably shape the information environment in which citizens form their choices, influence the speed and security of electoral logistics, and alter the tactics of both democratic actors and anti-democratic disruptors,” he stated.
The forum attracted participants from across Africa and beyond, including the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions and Chairman of Senegal’s Electoral Commission, Abdoulaye Sylla, members of the diplomatic community, political parties, civil society organisations, development partners, security agencies, media executives, technology firms and academics.
Highlighting the scale of Nigeria’s electoral process, Amupitan described the 2027 elections as one of the most complex democratic exercises globally, involving more than 103 million registered voters and 176,846 polling units spread across the country’s 774 local government areas.
He disclosed that INEC has already completed 10 of the 14 major operational milestones required under the Electoral Act 2026.
Among the achievements listed were the procurement of additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, the digitisation of candidate nominations through the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal and the introduction of online voter registration nationwide.
According to him, the nomination portal has so far processed more than 15,000 nominations submitted by 22 political parties.
Amupitan also identified several areas where AI could strengthen election management, including predictive logistics, results auditing, biometric database management, multilingual voter engagement and cybersecurity systems.
He urged stakeholders to embrace innovation responsibly while safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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