The Independent National Electoral Commission is considering a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission is also exploring plans to conduct a mock presidential election to test its systems before the polls. INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, disclosed this in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria.
Amupitan was represented at the conference by National Commissioner, Professor Sanni Adam. The conference focused on the impact of media and technology on elections and democratic governance in Africa.
INEC to audit electoral technology
Amupitan said the proposed technology audit would examine key areas of INEC’s electoral infrastructure.
These include system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery planning. He explained that the exercise would help the commission identify vulnerabilities before they affect election operations.
The INEC chairman said the proposed measures were informed by concerns over the performance of electoral technology during the 2023 general elections. He said the commission was determined to ensure that its systems were properly tested before the 2027 elections.
Commission plans mock presidential poll
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC was considering a mock presidential election ahead of the 2027 polls.
The exercise would provide a full test of voter accreditation, results transmission and results viewing. He said the commission intended to conduct the exercise under conditions that would closely mirror election day.
The proposed mock poll is part of efforts to identify possible technical and operational challenges before the actual election.
Amupitan said the commission would not simply reinstall existing systems and expect better results in 2027. He stressed the need for a more rigorous approach to testing and strengthening the electoral infrastructure.
AI poses new threat to elections
The INEC chairman warned that reliable election technology alone would not guarantee electoral credibility. According to him, threats are increasingly emerging from the information environment surrounding elections.
He raised concerns about the use of generative artificial intelligence to create convincing fake videos, audio recordings and images. Such content, he said, could falsely portray election officials announcing results that were never declared.
He also warned about cloned voices of political candidates and manipulated images of ballot papers. Amupitan said the speed at which such content could spread through platforms such as WhatsApp and TikTok made AI-generated disinformation a serious electoral threat.
He further identified algorithmic microtargeting as another emerging challenge. According to him, digital platforms can enable political actors and anonymous groups to send different messages to specific groups of voters.
INEC seeks stronger collaboration
Amupitan said INEC needed to maintain a continuous and trusted presence across digital platforms. He also stressed the importance of transparency in strengthening public confidence in the electoral process.
The chairman called for an “always-on” digital monitoring and rapid-response mechanism to identify and counter false information about elections. He also advocated “pre-emptive transparency”, which would require INEC to explain possible vulnerabilities, timelines and safeguards before rumours emerge.
Amupitan urged stronger collaboration between INEC, communication scholars, universities, media bodies, fact-checkers and technology platforms.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, called for stronger cooperation among stakeholders to tackle misinformation and disinformation ahead of 2027. He urged Nigerians to verify the source of political information before sharing it.
Also, the National President of ACSPN, Professor Rotimi Williams Olatunji, called for an integrated electoral information integrity framework.
He said such a framework would help address AI-driven disinformation and other emerging digital threats ahead of the 2027 elections.
