Obidients Reject INEC Plan to Deploy AI for 2027 Elections
The Obidient Movement has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s plan to deploy Artificial Intelligence tools in the conduct and management of the 2027 general elections.
The movement said the priority should be on resolving outstanding concerns around electoral transparency, result transmission and public confidence in the electoral process before introducing more advanced technology.
National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, stated this in Abuja while reacting to recent disclosures by INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, on the commission’s use of Artificial Intelligence ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan had disclosed that INEC had commenced the deployment of AI tools to assist officials in detecting discrepancies and administrative errors in election results.
The INEC chairman made the disclosure as the commission intensified preparations for the 2027 elections and expanded its focus on the opportunities and risks associated with emerging technology.
According to reports on the commission’s recent activities, INEC has also been working on measures to deal with AI-generated disinformation that could affect the credibility of the elections.
The electoral body has warned that advances in generative AI could make it easier for individuals or groups to create fake result sheets, cloned voices, manipulated videos and forged official documents.
Amupitan has also described AI-driven disinformation as a serious threat to the 2027 elections, noting that convincing fabricated materials could create confusion among voters and undermine confidence in genuine electoral information.
But Tanko said the proposed use of AI had raised fresh questions which INEC needed to answer before the technology could be deployed on a wider scale.
He argued that Nigerians deserved to know the exact role AI would play in the electoral process, the problems it was designed to solve and the measures that would be put in place to prevent manipulation.
“The same INEC that has failed to address the most basic issues surrounding electoral transparency, result transmission and the credibility of its processes is now announcing plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence in the 2027 elections.
“We reject this proposal in its entirety, particularly as the Commission has failed to explain how this technology will work, what problems it is intended to solve and what safeguards will prevent its abuse.”
Technology has become an important part of the country’s election management process in recent years, with INEC relying on digital systems for voter accreditation, result management and the electronic publication of polling-unit results.
The 2023 general election, however, generated intense debate over the performance and reliability of some of the technologies used during the exercise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission subsequently faced questions over the operation of its Result Viewing Portal, commonly known as IReV, and the uploading of polling-unit result sheets.
Tanko referred to a recent investigation by Mundx Analytics while making his case against introducing additional technology without first addressing existing concerns.
The investigation examined metadata connected to presidential result sheets from the 2023 election and raised questions about the devices used to upload some of the results to the IReV platform.
Mundx Analytics has separately stated that more than 50,000 presidential result sheets from the 2023 election appeared to have been uploaded using private phones, with its review identifying more than 800 phone models and a significant proportion of tagged uploads that were not from BVAS devices.
Tanko said the development required clarification from INEC, particularly as the commission prepares for another nationwide election.
He maintained that the adoption of new technology should not replace the need for institutional accountability and clear procedures that can be independently verified.
“Introducing AI into a system that has yet to account for its existing failures is not electoral reform. It is an attempt to distract Nigerians from the fundamental questions of institutional independence, transparency and accountability,” he said.
The Obidient Movement therefore called on INEC to make its full 2027 election plan available to Nigerians.
The group wants the commission to disclose the technologies it intends to use, the procedures that will guide their operation and the safeguards that will be applied.
It also demanded an independent audit of INEC’s electoral technology systems.
According to the movement, the outcome of such an audit should be made public, alongside details of any weaknesses discovered and the steps taken by the commission to correct them.
Tanko also called for a result transmission process that can be independently verified at every stage.
He said the results recorded at polling units must be accurately reflected in the final figures declared by the commission.
The group further asked INEC to explain in detail how its proposed AI systems would function and called for independent testing of the technology before it is deployed for the general elections.
Tanko said INEC Chairman Amupitan still had an opportunity to address the concerns raised by the movement and other Nigerians before the 2027 polls.
“The INEC Chairman, Mr Josh Amupitan, still has enough time to retrace his steps before it is too late. The people’s mandate is not negotiable,” Tanko added.
