2027: I’ve handed everything over to God, says INEC chairman

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, has said he has handed everything over to God as he confronts the responsibility of conducting the 2027 general election.

Amupitan, who spoke on Wednesday at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, said his faith in God remained his anchor amid the enormous demands of his office.

He said, “I’m being reminded of the enormity of the task on me. I’m also encouraged by the word of God, which is, ‘Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ So that has been my anchor.

“And sometimes people say, ‘You are not bothered.’ I said, I’ve handed over everything to God.”

The INEC chairman spoke at the forum organised by Yiaga Africa, which had as its theme, “Safeguarding the 2027 General Election in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

Addressing participants, Amupitan assured Nigerians that artificial intelligence would not determine the outcome of the 2027 general election, insisting that the power to choose the country’s leaders rested with the electorate.

He said, “No, algorithms will not and must never decide the 2027 votes. Algorithms will not decide the vote because the choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people.”

According to him, while AI would influence the information voters receive, electoral logistics and political communication, the technology must remain a tool for strengthening democracy rather than undermining it.

“Our task, therefore, at this forum and within the Commission is to ensure that AI remains a servant of democracy, not its master,” he said.

Amupitan said the 2027 general election would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

He noted that the scale of the exercise, coupled with difficult terrain, insecurity and poor network coverage in some communities, posed significant logistical challenges for the commission.

The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission had completed 10 of the 14 major activities on its election timetable, despite the strict timelines prescribed by the Electoral Act 2026.

He added that INEC had procured and begun receiving additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices to strengthen its technological capacity ahead of the polls.

Amupitan also said the commission had digitised its candidate nomination process through the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal, which had processed more than 15,000 nominations across 22 political parties.

He further disclosed that INEC had introduced online voter registration and was implementing a decentralised, multi-phase Permanent Voter Card collection exercise nationwide.

On the use of AI in election administration, the INEC chairman said the technology could improve the deployment of election materials and personnel through predictive modelling and geospatial analysis.

According to him, AI-driven systems can analyse traffic patterns, weather forecasts, road conditions and security incidents to determine suitable routes for transporting electoral materials to polling units.

He said such systems could also provide early warnings of weather-related disruptions and help the commission identify logistical challenges before election day.

On electoral integrity, Amupitan said biometric voter accreditation and electronic transmission of polling-unit results had helped address vulnerabilities associated with manual accreditation and arbitrary manipulation of results.

He added that AI could assist in auditing uploaded polling-unit result sheets by identifying mathematical inconsistencies, unusual entry patterns and discrepancies in image quality.

However, he stressed that human collation remained the statutory standard for declaring election results, while AI could provide additional support in detecting anomalies.

The INEC chairman said the commission would continue to work with civil society organisations, technology firms, regulatory bodies and security agencies to harness the benefits of AI while addressing potential threats to the electoral process.

He maintained that the ultimate responsibility of electoral stakeholders was to ensure that technological advancements strengthened democratic institutions without compromising the right of Nigerians to freely choose their leaders.