By 
By Oasome, C.O
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has warned that Artificial Intelligence (AI) must remain a tool for strengthening electoral institutions rather than replacing human responsibility in the management of elections.
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Amupitan, who spoke at the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections in Ottawa, Canada, said the success of AI in electoral administration would depend less on the sophistication of the technology than on the quality of the institutions, governance structures, legal frameworks and safeguards controlling its deployment.
The INEC Chairman was accompanied at the conference by the Commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Dr. Lawrence Bayode.
According to Amupitan, the growing influence of algorithms, automated systems and data architectures on democratic processes makes responsible technological innovation increasingly important for election management bodies.
“Responsible AI begins with institutional readiness — not technology,” he said.
INEC Creates Dedicated AI Division Ahead of 2027 Elections
Amupitan disclosed that INEC is approaching AI adoption as an institutional reform, rather than treating it as a conventional information technology project.
As part of preparations for the 2027 general elections, the Commission has established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department to coordinate the responsible adoption of AI, maximise technology investments and mitigate emerging risks.
The Commission has also developed an AI Roadmap for phased adoption and an AI Governance Framework, which is currently undergoing internal approval.
According to the INEC Chairman, the Commission has commenced AI literacy and technical capacity-building programmes for its personnel while adopting a multidisciplinary approach involving ICT, Operations, Legal, Voter Education, Risk Management and other departments.
The strategy is designed to ensure that AI deployment is embedded within the Commission’s institutional responsibilities rather than developed in isolation by its technology teams.
Human Oversight Remains Central to AI-Driven Elections
Amupitan stressed that AI will assist election officials but will not assume responsibility for electoral decisions.
He identified five principles guiding INEC’s AI initiatives: human oversight; transparency and accountability; data protection and privacy; cybersecurity and risk management; and operational value and public trust.
“AI must strengthen electoral integrity, improve public service, and always remain under human control,” the Chairman stated.
The position reflects INEC’s effort to ensure that automated systems support decision-making without diminishing the accountability of election officials or weakening public confidence in electoral outcomes.
AI to Help Detect Election Result Discrepancies
As an example of the Commission’s emerging AI applications, Amupitan disclosed that INEC has introduced an intelligent Results Management process designed to assist in identifying discrepancies in election result records.
The system is intended to automatically flag unusual data patterns and potential inconsistencies for further examination by human officials.
The approach places AI in a supporting role: algorithms can process large volumes of election data and identify anomalies, while trained officials retain responsibility for reviewing the information and taking appropriate administrative decisions.
This model could become increasingly important as election management becomes more data-intensive and the volume of information generated across Nigeria’s polling units continues to grow.
AI Supports Voter Register and Election Logistics
INEC’s broader AI roadmap is also expected to support several areas of election administration.
AI-assisted data processing can help the Commission analyse large voter-registration datasets and identify potential duplicate records and other anomalies requiring human verification.
Data analytics can also support electoral logistics, including staff deployment, election-material distribution and crowd-management planning across the country’s extensive polling-unit network.
The Commission is further developing AI-assisted citizen-service tools capable of providing voters with faster information and clearer guidance on electoral procedures.
The objective, according to the Commission, is not to automate election management wholesale, but to use technology to improve administrative efficiency, reduce errors and strengthen the quality of public services delivered to voters.
Nigeria’s Election Technology Journey
Amupitan noted that Nigeria has progressively introduced technology into election administration to improve credibility, efficiency and transparency.
He cited the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and the Automated Biometrics Identification System (ABIS) among technologies deployed by the Commission to reduce human error and manual interference.
He said the scale of Nigeria’s elections makes technology increasingly indispensable to modern election administration.
According to the INEC Chairman, Nigeria has more than 93 million registered voters, approximately 180,000 polling units and about 185,000 BVAS devices, with elections conducted simultaneously across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The scale, he noted, underscores both the opportunities presented by AI and the risks associated with deploying automated technologies without adequate safeguards.
INEC Warns Against Technology for Technology’s Sake
Despite the potential of AI, Amupitan cautioned that its adoption should not be driven simply by enthusiasm for emerging technology.
Instead, every AI application should demonstrate measurable benefits for electoral administration, public service delivery and citizens’ confidence in the democratic process.
This means that the Commission’s technology strategy must be evaluated not only by technical performance but also by its impact on transparency, accountability, inclusion and public trust.
For Nigeria, the challenge is therefore to strike a balance between technological innovation and institutional responsibility as AI becomes increasingly embedded in election management.
Electoral AI Must Comply With Nigeria’s Legal Framework
Amupitan also outlined the legal architecture governing technology deployment within Nigeria’s electoral system.
He referenced the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2026, INEC Regulations, the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Cybercrimes Act 2024 as important components of the framework within which electoral technology must operate.
He particularly highlighted provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 dealing with the voters’ register, electronic voting devices, biometric accreditation, electronic transmission of results, and the use of accreditation and transmitted results in the collation and declaration of election results.
The legal framework, he said, provides an important foundation for ensuring that technological innovation remains consistent with electoral law and institutional accountability.
Deepfakes and Algorithmic Disinformation Present New Risks
The increasing use of AI also introduces new threats to electoral integrity, particularly through deepfakes, synthetic media, automated manipulation and algorithmic disinformation.
INEC’s decision to establish a dedicated AI division is therefore aimed not only at exploiting the benefits of the technology but also at anticipating and managing risks associated with its misuse.
The Commission’s governance framework is expected to provide mechanisms for assessing AI-related risks while ensuring that sensitive electoral and voter information is protected.
Institutional Readiness Critical to Nigeria’s 2027 Elections
The emerging AI strategy represents another stage in Nigeria’s continuing evolution from largely manual election administration towards increasingly digital and data-driven processes.
For INEC, however, the central question is not whether AI can perform more tasks, but whether its deployment can strengthen electoral integrity without weakening human accountability.
Amupitan’s message in Ottawa was therefore clear: technological sophistication alone cannot guarantee credible elections.
Strong institutions, clear laws, responsible governance, trained personnel, cybersecurity, data protection and public trust must accompany the deployment of AI.
As Nigeria moves towards the 2027 general elections, INEC’s institutional approach to AI could become an important test of how emerging technologies can be integrated into democratic processes while keeping electoral responsibility firmly in human hands.
