2027: Only Nigerians, not algorithms will decide election results — INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has assured Nigerians that artificial intelligence will not determine the outcome of the 2027 general election.

This is as he insisted that the “choice of who leads the country belongs to the electorate.”

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, stated this at the AI and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, where he explained how the commission intended to use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve electoral operations without allowing it to replace voters’ decisions.

Responding to the question, according to Arise News, on Sunday,“Will algorithms decide the 2027 vote?”,

Amupitan said, “Let me, as the chair of INEC, answer it unequivocally: no! Algorithms will not and must never decide the 2027 votes.

“Algorithms will not decide the votes because the choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people.”

He, however, said AI-driven geospatial analysis and predictive modelling could help the commission improve election logistics and meet its operational demands.

Amupitan said that since assuming office on October 23, 2025, he had overseen five major elections and more than 16 by-elections, during which INEC tested predictive logistics optimisation.

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He added that reports from civil society organisations and election observers indicated improvements in the early deployment of election materials and the commencement of voting during the elections.

Speaking during the panel session, the INEC chairman said AI components were already embedded in some of the technologies used by the commission, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.

He explained that facial recognition and fingerprint technologies used for voter accreditation involved AI components, adding that similar technologies had been incorporated into smart card readers previously used by the commission.

Amupitan said INEC was refining its systems to address challenges associated with AI and ensure that the technology was deployed for lawful purposes.

He added that the commission could not publicly disclose some details of its preparations because of cybersecurity concerns.

At a press conference on October 6, Amupitan said INEC had established a dedicated AI division within its Information and Communication Technology Department to support result verification and strengthen cybersecurity ahead of the 2027 elections.

He also said the commission had integrated automated AI auditing tools into its result verification process under a five-pillar AI governance framework, with mandatory human oversight.

According to him, INEC is finalising its AI governance policy to guide the use of the technology throughout the electoral process.