Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has mentioned algorithms will not decide the end result of the 2027 common election.
Amupitan made the comment on the AI and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja.
Addressing the query, “Will algorithms decide the 2027 vote?”, he mentioned synthetic intelligence (AI) wouldn’t exchange the will of the citizens.
“Let me, as the chair of INEC, answer it unequivocally: no! Algorithms will not and must never decide the 2027 votes,” he mentioned.
“Algorithms will not decide the votes because the choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people.”
Amupitan, nevertheless, mentioned AI-driven geospatial evaluation and predictive modelling might enhance electoral logistics and assist the fee meet its operational calls for.
He mentioned since assuming workplace on October 23, 2025, he had overseen 5 main elections and greater than 16 by-elections, throughout which INEC examined predictive logistics optimisation.
The INEC chairman mentioned the fee recorded enhancements within the early deployment of election supplies and the graduation of voting.
“Reports from civil society and observers reported significant improvement in terms of early deployment of materials and early commencement of voting in all the elections we’ve conducted,” he mentioned.
Speaking throughout a panel session, Amupitan mentioned AI parts had been already embedded in some of the applied sciences the fee used, together with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He mentioned facial recognition and fingerprint know-how used for voter accreditation concerned AI parts, including that comparable applied sciences had been included into the good card readers that preceded BVAS.
The INEC chairman mentioned the fee was refining its methods to handle AI-related challenges and make sure the know-how was used for lawful functions.
He added that it couldn’t disclose some particulars of its preparations publicly as a result of of cybersecurity considerations.
At a press convention on October 6, Amupitan mentioned INEC had established a devoted AI division inside its data and communication know-how division to help consequence verification and strengthen cybersecurity forward of the 2027 elections.
He additionally mentioned the fee had built-in automated AI auditing instruments into its consequence verification course of beneath a five-pillar AI governance framework, with obligatory human oversight.
Amupitan mentioned the fee was finalising its AI governance coverage to information the use of the know-how within the electoral course of.
