The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence division ahead of the 2027 elections.
This was announced on Thursday in a statement by Sam Olumekun, the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
The decision was made during INEC’s regular weekly meeting, in recognition of the growing importance of Artificial Intelligence in elections and electoral processes both in Nigeria and around the world.
Mr Olumekun said, “The commission approved the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Division under the ICT Department to continue to harness the positive aspects of AI and mitigate its negative impact on elections.
“The division will enable the commission to better coordinate and maximise existing technology investments through centralised AI governance. It will also enhance decision-making through data-driven insights, risk management and voter engagement. Furthermore, it will strengthen electoral credibility through predictive analytics, automation and intelligent safeguards.”
He said the commission attended several conferences and interacted with colleagues around the continent on the impact of AI on elections, not only motivated by the concern over the use of AI to spread fake news or manipulate content online, “but also to utilise its benefits for data-driven decision-making, risk detection and mitigation, deepening voter services automation and geo-spatial intelligence in support of logistic optimisation for better material distribution and polling unit allocation.”
Mr. Olumekun stated that the initiative positions INEC as a leader in integrating AI capabilities into its ICT infrastructure.
He added that this marks a significant step in the commission’s ongoing efforts to reform the electoral process, particularly in areas that fall under its administrative purview.
