The European Union has warned that artificial intelligence-generated fake news could threaten the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, as the Independent National Electoral Commission explores AI tools to reduce errors in election result management.
Speaking on behalf of the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Programme, Lanre Arogundade said manipulated images, videos and audio recordings could mislead voters and undermine confidence in the electoral process. He urged electoral institutions, media organisations, technology platforms and citizens to strengthen their ability to detect disinformation.
Arogundade spoke ahead of a national summit scheduled for November 2 and 3, 2026, at the Abuja Continental Hotel. Organised by the International Press Centre and the Centre for Media and Society, alongside other partners, the event will examine AI-generated deepfakes, coordinated disinformation and foreign interference in electoral information.
The summit is expected to attract about 250 participants from INEC, media organisations, technology companies, fact-checking groups, civil society and academia. Activities will include a simulation of an AI-driven electoral disinformation crisis to assess how institutions respond to misleading content during elections.
Meanwhile, INEC Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, said the commission was exploring AI applications to improve result management. He explained that the proposed system would compare electronically entered figures with paper result sheets and scanned copies, preventing transmission until discrepancies were resolved.
Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Sade Dada, identified cloned videos and synthetic voices as growing threats but said AI could also support content verification and digital literacy. She highlighted GovGuide Nigeria, an AI-powered chatbot developed with government agencies and Publica AI to provide government information in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
Separately, the AI for Elections Programme and Hackathon, convened by Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, aims to develop practical solutions for electoral information and security challenges. Applications opened on October 22 and close on November 12, 2026, for Nigerians aged 18 and above, with a ₦10m prize pool comprising ₦4m for the winner, ₦2.5m for the runner-up, ₦1.5m for third place and four special awards of ₦500,000 each.
