The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned Nigerians to beware of fake audio and video announcements claiming that the 2027 general elections have been postponed.
The commission fears that individuals could use artificial intelligence (AI) to create convincing false messages and circulate them shortly before election day. Such announcements could confuse voters and disrupt the electoral process before authorities have enough time to respond.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, raised the concern on Monday in Abuja during the opening of the National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity.
The summit carried the theme, “Beyond the Ballot: AI, FIMI, and the Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections.”
Amupitan identified the final hours before voting as a particularly dangerous period for digital misinformation. He warned that those behind such campaigns could deliberately exploit communication gaps to spread false election information.
He explained that fabricated announcements about postponing elections could create widespread confusion because voters might struggle to verify them before heading to polling stations.
INEC Cites AI-Generated Audio From Slovakia Election
To illustrate the threat, the INEC chairman referred to the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, where an AI-generated audio recording circulated two days before voting.
The recording allegedly captured a political party leader discussing vote buying. It went viral during the election silence period, leaving fact-checkers, election authorities and media organisations with little time to respond.
Amupitan said the incident demonstrated that public awareness alone could not defeat well-funded and carefully targeted digital manipulation.
He also warned that authorities could struggle to reverse the damage when manipulated videos spread rapidly online.
“When a manipulated video achieves viral saturation within thirty minutes of release, a formal text rebuttal issued three hours later struggles to undo the cognitive damage,” he said.
He added that INEC would not wait for misleading content to gain widespread attention before responding.
Commission Plans Rapid Response to Election Misinformation
Amupitan disclosed that INEC was developing internal systems to identify and debunk viral misinformation within minutes of its appearance.
He listed rapid responses, technological safeguards and voter education among the commission’s priorities ahead of the 2027 elections.
On voter education, he said the commission would expand its public awareness campaigns beyond explaining how to vote.
INEC also wants Nigerians to understand how to verify election information, recognise authentic commission announcements and identify reliable channels for confirmation.
The chairman said the commission was strengthening its digital infrastructure and engaging major social media platforms to tackle manipulated content.
The platforms include TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and X, formerly Twitter.
“We already have an MOU with TikTok,” he disclosed.
Amupitan also called for stronger cooperation between social media companies, telecommunications providers, journalists, media organisations, fact-checkers and security agencies.
He urged social media platforms to establish fast-track systems for reviewing and flagging or removing verified manipulated content.
He further called on telecommunications providers and media organisations to maintain clear channels for sharing authenticated election alerts.
The chairman also wants fact-checkers and independent journalists to have direct access to designated INEC communication desks. This, he said, would help them verify suspicious information within minutes rather than hours.
INEC Seeks Stronger Protection for 2027 Elections
The commission expects the national summit to produce three major outcomes.
These include clear procedures for cooperation among relevant agencies, permanent fact-checking desks within institutions and practical simulation exercises.
The proposed exercises will test how authorities respond to AI-driven election threats and misinformation emergencies.
Amupitan revealed that INEC had recently completed a Strategic Communication workshop with a development partner. Participants simulated some of the challenges and discussed possible responses.
He also highlighted the danger of what experts call the “Liar’s Dividend.”
This happens when the spread of AI-generated fabrications makes people question genuine information, including authentic evidence and official announcements.
However, the INEC chairman stressed that the commission’s plans would not restrict political debate or freedom of expression.
“The goal is not to police opinion, regulate political debate, or restrict citizens’ freedom of expression. The sole objective is to protect the authenticity of operational election information so that when a citizen makes a choice at the ballot box, that choice is based on genuine facts rather than engineered deception,” he said.
INEC Announces Key Dates for 2027 Election Campaigns
Amupitan also highlighted the electoral timetable, noting that INEC had begun counting down to January 16, 2027, when the first ballots would be cast in the presidential and National Assembly elections.
He referred to Section 98(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political campaigns to end 24 hours before polling day.
According to the timetable he presented, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will close on January 14, 2027.
Campaigns for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled to end on February 4, 2027.
The chairman said the summit, supported under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria III framework, must deliver practical solutions rather than produce recommendations that institutions would eventually ignore.
He urged participants to work towards an electoral environment where voters receive reliable information instead of becoming confused by digital deception.
“Let our goal be certain: to ensure that by 2027, the Nigerian voter is empowered by information, not paralysed by it,” he said.