• Turns to AI to check result discrepancies
• Atiku accuses commission of hiding 103m voters’ register

With the 2027 general election fast approaching, a civic group has threatened legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the alleged inaccessibility of the preliminary voter register and unanswered questions about the redeployment of key electoral officials.

Meanwhile, not confident that the human element will deliver, the commission is deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to curb errors in election result management, as experts warn that the technology could also be exploited to manipulate voters and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accused INEC of undermining public confidence in the 2027 general election, demanding explanations for the alleged failure to make the preliminary voters’ register available online during its announced period for public scrutiny.

The group, Concerned Citizens for Nigerian Democracy (CCND), said it would approach the Federal High Court if INEC failed to publish the preliminary register online by October 30, warning that restricted public access could weaken scrutiny of the register ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

It disclosed that INEC had acknowledged receipt of its letter to its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, dated October 22.

CCND said its check of INEC’s voter registration portal on October 21 returned the message, “Service temporarily unavailable”, preventing it from accessing the preliminary register.

It argued that online publication was critical to enabling voters, political parties and other stakeholders to identify possible irregularities, including duplicate entries, deceased persons remaining on the register and questionable voter transfers.

Citing Section 19 of the Electoral Act, 2026, which it said provides for public display of the register and a 14-day window for claims and objections, it warned that the objection period would be less meaningful if citizens could not properly examine the register and verify the information it contains.

CCND also questioned the redeployment of Mrs Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi to head INEC’s Electoral Operations Department at its Abuja headquarters, while the department’s former head, Isah Gummi, was moved to the Voter Registry Department.

The group raised a potential conflict-of-interest concern, noting that Adeyemi-Showunmi’s husband, Segun Showunmi, serves in the Media and Strategic Communications Directorate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PPC).

There were broader efforts by INEC to use AI to combat misinformation, expand access to reliable electoral information and strengthen cybersecurity, although experts warn that the technology could also be used to manipulate voters and erode public trust in elections.

This was disclosed yesterday at the launch of the AI for Elections Programme and Hackathon organised by Rise Networks in Abuja, where INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, said the commission was exploring practical uses of AI while putting safeguards in place to ensure its responsible deployment.

Explaining how the technology would work in the result management system, he said, “The system checks whether the figures entered electronically match those on the paper result sheets and scanned copies before transmission is allowed. If discrepancies exist, they must be resolved before the results can be uploaded.”

Bayode said the initiative would help minimise human errors, enhance operational efficiency and ensure that figures published on INEC’s portal correspond with results recorded at polling units.

He cautioned, however, that technological advancement must not undermine electoral security, operational stability or public trust, urging developers to use publicly available or duly authorised data without compromising critical electoral infrastructure.

Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Sade Dada, said the increasing sophistication of AI-generated content was making it harder for people to distinguish authentic information from manipulated content.

“Elections are decided by voters. Voters make decisions based on what they believe, and what they believe depends on what they can trust,” Dada said.

She identified cloned videos and synthetic voices as growing threats, noting that relatively simple tools now allow individuals to produce misleading content on a large scale.

However, Dada said AI could also help address the challenge through content verification, digital literacy initiatives and multilingual information services.

Atiku, in a statement issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) PCC, Phrank Shaibu, questioned the whereabouts of the register, which INEC said contained more than 103 million registered voters.

He argued that the reported absence of the register from the commission’s online portal during the October 9 to 15 inspection period denied Nigerians the opportunity to verify their details, identify omissions and challenge questionable entries.

The former vice president also raised concerns over conflicting accounts of when the register was displayed, citing an alleged statement by INEC’s chairman on October 5 that the exercise had already been completed.

Atiku further questioned the safeguards for establishing the authenticity of ballot papers without INEC’s official mark, calling for clear procedures to prevent electoral fraud and ensure that political parties can challenge disputed ballots.