By Emmanuel Thomas l Friday, Sept 11, 2026
OTTAWA, CANADA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that the successful deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in election management depends on the strength of democratic institutions and governing frameworks rather than technological sophistication.
Speaking on Thursday, 10 September 2026, at the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections in Ottawa, Canada, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, warned that advanced algorithms must support human decision-making rather than supplant it.
Prof. Amupitan, who presented Nigeria’s experience alongside the Commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Dr. Lawrence Bayode, emphasized that public trust remains the ultimate benchmark of electoral integrity.
”AI must strengthen electoral integrity, improve public service, and always remain under human control,” the Chairman asserted, stressing that “responsible AI begins with institutional readiness — not technology.”
Operational Scale and Technological Progression
Addressing international delegates, Prof. Amupitan outlined the massive scale of Nigeria’s electoral landscape, which features over 93 million registered voters, roughly 180,000 polling units, and over 185,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices deployed simultaneously across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He noted that technology has become essential to modern election administration in Nigeria. Innovations such as the BVAS, the Automated Biometrics Identification System (ABIS), and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) were purposefully introduced to eliminate manual interference and reduce human error.
However, he cautioned against adopting technology merely for its own sake.
Strategic Institutional Framework and Five Core Principles
Rather than treating Artificial Intelligence purely as an isolated ICT project, INEC has initiated comprehensive institutional preparations:
Dedicated AI Structure: Established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within the ICT Department.
Policy Guidance: Formulated an AI Roadmap for phased adoption alongside an AI Governance Framework currently undergoing internal approval.
Capacity Building: Initiated staff literacy and technical capacity building.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Adopted a multidisciplinary strategy involving ICT, Operations, Legal, Voter Education, and Risk Management departments.
Prof. Amupitan highlighted five cardinal principles guiding INEC’s AI transition:
Human Oversight: Retaining ultimate human authority over electoral outcomes.
Transparency and Accountability: Ensuring algorithms are auditable.
Data Protection and Privacy: Safeguarding voter records.
Cybersecurity and Risk Management: Shielding infrastructure from external threats.
Operational Value and Public Trust: Ensuring every technology deployment offers clear value to citizens.
Grounding these initiatives within existing law, the INEC Chairman referenced the legal architecture supporting digital electoral tools, including the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2026, the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, and the Cybercrimes Act 2024. He pointed out that the Electoral Act 2026 specifically governs voters’ registers, electronic accreditation, and result collation procedures.
Prof. Amupitan also disclosed that INEC has introduced an intelligent Results Management process.
Designed to automatically flag discrepancies in election records, the system serves as an analytical aid to assist human officials during collation, ensuring faster and more transparent verification.
An insightful discussion on the appointment and expectations of Professor Joash Amupitan as INEC Chairman can be seen in Tinubu Appoints Professor Joash Amupitan as New INEC Chairman. This video provides critical background context on the electoral reform agenda he brings to the commission.
