INEC deploys AI to verify 2027 election results and detect discrepancies

• INEC has established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division.

• Automated AI auditing tools are already integrated into results verification.

• The system will operate with mandatory human oversight.

• INEC says AI will also help detect anomalies and tackle election disinformation.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division and integrated automated AI auditing tools into its election results verification process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, during a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Meeting in Abuja on the commission’s preparations for the elections.

According to Amupitan, the new AI division has been established within INEC’s Information and Communications Technology Department to strengthen the commission’s ability to detect anomalies and counter disinformation.

He said automated AI auditing tools had already been integrated into the commission’s results verification process.

Amupitan explained that the use of AI would operate under a five-pillar AI governance framework, with mandatory human oversight.

“An AI governance framework policy is being finalised by the commission,” he said.

The INEC chairman had previously disclosed in September that the commission had commenced deploying AI tools to help identify discrepancies in election result records through an intelligent Results Management process.

The latest development means AI will be used as an additional tool to assist election officials in checking result records and identifying possible discrepancies before final verification, rather than replacing human decision-making.

INEC is also concerned about the growing use of artificial intelligence to create misleading election-related content.

Amupitan has warned that generative AI, voice cloning and deepfake technology could make it easier for individuals to fabricate videos of election officials, cloned audio recordings and doctored result sheets ahead of the 2027 elections.

He has consequently urged media organisations to strengthen their fact-checking and digital verification systems and verify election-related claims before publishing them.

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“Let’s resist premature result declarations,” Amupitan said, warning against the publication and amplification of privately collated election figures on social media.

He said the statutory authority to declare election results rests with INEC and warned that circulating unverified figures could create conflicting narratives around official results.

The commission's move comes as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections, with INEC positioning technology as an important part of its efforts to improve the management and credibility of the electoral process.

The AI deployment is therefore expected to serve two related purposes: helping INEC identify inconsistencies in election result records while also strengthening its ability to detect and respond to technology-driven threats to the electoral process.