2027: Obidient Movement Questions INEC’s Planned Use of AI in Elections
The Obidient Movement has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide detailed explanations on its proposed deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in the 2027 general elections.
The movement’s Worldwide Coordinator, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said Nigerians deserved to know how the proposed technology would operate, the electoral challenges it was designed to address and the safeguards that would be put in place to prevent abuse.
Tanko made the demand in a statement in which he raised concerns about transparency, institutional independence and public confidence in the electoral process.
He argued that technology alone was not the fundamental challenge confronting Nigeria’s elections, identifying transparency, accountability and institutional credibility as critical issues requiring attention.
The coordinator also questioned the continued involvement of INEC’s ICT leadership in preparations for the 2027 elections, alleging that some officials who managed the commission’s ICT systems during the 2023 elections remained in key positions.
He urged the commission to provide Nigerians with a comprehensive technology and election-management plan ahead of the 2027 polls, including details of the systems to be deployed, operational procedures, verification mechanisms and safeguards.
Tanko further called for transparent and independently verifiable transmission of election results to ensure that votes recorded at polling units were accurately reflected in the final results.
He also urged INEC to subject any proposed AI system to independent technical testing and public scrutiny before deployment, saying such measures would help address concerns about reliability, accountability and potential manipulation.
According to him, the commission should also take steps to strengthen the independence and accountability of its ICT leadership as part of efforts to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Tanko called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to ensure that the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections were conducted transparently and that all major technological innovations were subjected to appropriate scrutiny.
The statement comes amid growing attention to the possible use of emerging technologies, including AI, in Nigeria’s electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
