Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan has said artificial intelligence will not decide the outcome of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, insisting that electoral choices belong to voters.
At the AI and Democracy Forum in Abuja, Amupitan said technology could assist election administration but must remain subject to legal safeguards and human oversight. “Algorithms will not and must never decide the 2027 votes,” he said.
He identified geospatial analysis and predictive modeling as tools that could improve logistics and the deployment of election materials. According to him, the commission had tested technology-supported planning during recent elections and recorded improvements in timely distribution and the commencement of voting.
Amupitan also discussed biometric voter accreditation and the commission’s efforts to address cybersecurity risks. He said some operational details could not be disclosed publicly for security reasons.
The INEC chairman said the commission was developing an AI governance policy and had established dedicated technical capacity to support result verification and cybersecurity, with human supervision remaining central.
His comments come amid growing public concern about deepfakes, disinformation and the potential misuse of automated systems during political campaigns.
