Yemi Obafemi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled plans to strengthen its digital communication and electoral technology systems ahead of the 2027 General Election, including the deployment of a rapid-response strategy to detect, verify and counter misinformation in real time.
The Commission also plans to conduct a full audit of its electoral technology infrastructure, assess system redundancy, carry out penetration testing and strengthen disaster recovery measures, while considering a mock presidential election to test the resilience of its systems before the 2027 polls.
National Commissioner of INEC, Prof. Sani Muhammad Adam, SAN, disclosed this while delivering the keynote address on behalf of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN).
The conference, themed “Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication,” focused on the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence on electoral communication and public trust.
Adam said lessons from the 2023 General Election showed that technological innovations such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal improved transparency, but stressed that technology alone could not guarantee public confidence without reliable performance and effective communication.
He said INEC would deepen collaboration with communication scholars, universities, media organisations, fact checkers, technology companies and civil society groups to build a stronger electoral information environment ahead of the 2027 election.
The INEC National Commissioner also noted that the Commission’s preparations for the election were aimed at ensuring that its systems could withstand technical failures, cyber threats and other forms of digital disruption.
The ACSPN National President, Prof. Rotimi Williams Olatunji, called for an integrated electoral information integrity framework involving INEC, political parties, media organisations, technology platforms, civil society and academia.
Olatunji said stronger fact checking systems, AI content detection, responsible political communication and improved media literacy were necessary to protect the credibility of elections in the digital era.
Also speaking at the conference, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, warned that AI generated misinformation and manipulated digital content could weaken public confidence in the 2027 elections if not effectively addressed.
He urged stakeholders to promote responsible digital citizenship and expand public awareness efforts to help Nigerians distinguish factual information from fabricated and manipulated content.
