INEC Warns Against Fake Poll Postponement Announcements Ahead of 2027 Elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that fabricated audio and video announcements could be used on the eve of the 2027 general elections to falsely claim that voting has been postponed, potentially sowing confusion among voters.
INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan raised the concern on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity.
The summit was themed “Beyond the Ballot: AI, FIMI, and the Integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections.”
Amupitan said the period immediately before polling is particularly vulnerable because limited time remains for verification and official responses.
He noted that those behind digital manipulation could deliberately release false announcements to exploit communication gaps.
He cited the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, in which an AI-generated audio recording purportedly capturing a party leader discussing vote-buying went viral two days before voting, during an election silence period.
Fact-checkers, election authorities and media organisations were unable to respond effectively in time.
“This case proves that public awareness alone cannot counter well-funded, hyper-targeted digital manipulation,” Amupitan said.
He warned that waiting until fabricated content has already gone viral before issuing a rebuttal makes it difficult to reverse the damage.
“When a manipulated video achieves viral saturation within thirty minutes of release, a formal text rebuttal issued three hours later struggles to undo the cognitive damage,” he stated.
The chairman said INEC is developing internal mechanisms to debunk viral misinformation within minutes of its emergence.
He also stressed that artificial intelligence is not inherently an enemy of democracy and can support election management, while cautioning against its misuse to create deepfakes or manipulate voter information.
The warning comes as INEC continues preparations for the 2027 polls under a fixed statutory timetable. Amupitan has previously reiterated that the elections will hold as scheduled.
By Oyinkansola Shittu.
