“AI Will Be Used to Audit Election Results in 2027” — INEC Chairman

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is preparing to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in aspects of the 2027 general election, including the verification and auditing of election results.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the commission’s World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Forum on preparations for the 2027 elections.

Amupitan said the move formed part of efforts to strengthen the commission’s use of technology and improve the integrity of the electoral process.

According to him, INEC has established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division under its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department to oversee the commission’s growing use of AI.

He said the division would be responsible for developing and managing AI-related systems while ensuring that their application within the electoral process remained subject to appropriate safeguards.

“Artificial intelligence governance, the commission has established a dedicated artificial intelligence division with the ICT department,” Amupitan said.

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The INEC chairman further disclosed that automated AI auditing tools were being integrated into the commission’s results verification process.

He explained that the technology would operate under a five-pillar AI governance framework designed to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence does not operate without human supervision.

“Automated AI auditing tools are being integrated into our results verification process under a five-pillar AI governance framework operating under the human governance oversight, and AI framework policy is being finalised by the commission,” he said.

The announcement marks another major step in INEC’s push to expand technology in the management of Nigeria’s elections, particularly in an era where artificial intelligence is increasingly being adopted to analyse large volumes of information and detect irregularities.

However, the commission’s planned use of AI is expected to operate alongside human oversight, with the governance framework intended to provide checks on how the technology is deployed during the electoral process.