By Admin I Thursday, Oct.15, 2026
ABUJA — Concerns over the integrity of the upcoming 2027 general elections deepened on Thursday as the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of orchestrating a plot to manipulate the electoral process through the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
In a press statement signed by Osa Director Esq, National Publicity Secretary, NDC alleged that the commission’s sudden inclination toward AI technology is designed to favor the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The statement questioned the election management body’s haste in introducing AI mechanisms into crucial stages of election administration without prior testing or pilot programs during off-cycle elections, such as the Osun State governorship poll.
”INEC is plotting to rig the 2027 general elections in favor of the ruinous APC by deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI). Suddenly, AI has become an attractive tool for the election management body,” Director stated.
Querying the commission’s priorities, he added: “For a nation that has not been able to use AI to solve its intractable security challenges, is it the problem of electing public officers that it can now resolve with AI?”
The opposition spokesman urged civil society, citizens, and international observers to intervene before the polls, warning that introducing unproven technological systems could jeopardize the credibility of the entire electoral framework.
”Not even a test run of the efficiency, or otherwise, of AI tools in off-cycle elections? Why did INEC not test-run AI in the Osun polls? Why the hurry to use AI in the forthcoming general elections?
Something is amiss,” the statement queried, adding: “All men and women of good conscience and the international community must rise to checkmate this diabolical plot by INEC.”
The allegation comes amid heightened public scrutiny surrounding INEC’s administrative and technological reforms leading up to the 2027 general elections.
The commission recently announced the establishment of a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division aimed at integrating automated tools into its cybersecurity posture and internal data auditing systems.
According to electoral officials, the AI governance framework is intended to protect public portals from cyber threats, detect anomalous database traffic, and counter election-related deepfakes and generative AI misinformation.
However, the announcement has met resistance from opposition groups, political commentators, and civil society organizations who express skepticism about technological innovations in result collation and verification.
Critics point to the technical glitches and transmission delays associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) during the 2023 general elections, arguing that introducing AI without clear legal frameworks and pilot testing could erode public trust.
Responding to rising public debate, INEC leadership reiterated that technology will serve only as an administrative aid and that human oversight, voter thumbprints, and verifiable physical records will remain the primary determinants of election results.