…Says commission will dismiss, prosecute partisan election officials 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it is deploying artificial intelligence (AI) data-auditing tools and advanced cyber-defence systems in partnership with global technology giants, Google and Microsoft, to protect Nigeria’s electoral database from cyberattacks.

The commission also vowed to immediately dismiss and prosecute electoral officials found engaging in partisan activities, administrative carelessness or other ethical compromises during the elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday while delivering the keynote address at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) in Lagos.

Speaking on the theme, “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities,” Amupitan said the commission had embarked on major technological, structural and logistical reforms to strengthen the integrity of the elections.

Amupitan, who was represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, said the deployment of AI and advanced cyber-security infrastructure was aimed at protecting INEC’s databases against cyber intrusions, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and unauthorised data injection.

He said: “In strategic partnership with global technological leaders, including Google and Microsoft, we have embedded automated AI data-auditing tools and multi-layered firewalls to shield our databases against cyber intrusions, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and unauthorised data injection,” he said.

Amupitan said the technological measures were part of efforts to ensure that public confidence in the 2027 elections was based on verifiable processes rather than assurances.

On dismissing partisan staff, the INEC Chairman said every electoral official was required under Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026 to take a binding oath of loyalty and absolute neutrality.

He declared that officials who compromise the process would face immediate consequences.

 “As I told our field officers during our North-West assessment in Kaduna: To the voter in a local ward, INEC is not the Chairman in Abuja; INEC is you.

“Pursuant to Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026, every official must take a binding oath of loyalty and absolute neutrality. Partisanship, administrative carelessness, or ethical compromises will be met with immediate dismissal and statutory prosecution.”

He said INEC had also upgraded the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), with hardware optimisation, extended battery calibration and software hardening to strengthen facial and fingerprint accreditation and prevent voter impersonation and bypass attempts.

The chairman disclosed that the commission had commenced a nationwide BVAS audit to ensure that the devices were functional and ready for deployment, adding that additional BVAS devices had also been procured based on operational requirements.

Amupitan disclosed that INEC had strengthened its electronic result-transmission infrastructure through an enhanced eEC8A protocol.

According to him, the system digitises polling unit result sheets immediately after counting, with the scanned Form EC8A cryptographically signed and transmitted simultaneously to the public result-viewing portal.

He said the system, which builds on deployments in recent off-cycle elections in the Federal Capital Territory, Ekiti and Osun states, would provide end-to-end result visibility and reduce opportunities for manual alteration at intermediate collation points.

According to Amupitan, the commission was determined to ensure that every stage of the electoral process could be independently verified, stressing that technology must be accompanied by administrative discipline.

He added that the commission’s Information and Communication Technology Department was completing the generation of the official PDF Register of Voters for nationwide display, alongside final synchronisation of CVR data through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to eliminate duplicate registrations.

He appealed to online publishers to use their platforms to educate registered voters and direct them to designated Local Government offices and Registration Area centres for collection.

He said the early procurement would provide sufficient time for batching, inventory auditing and distribution to the 774 LGAs ahead of the polls.

The commission, he added, had procured and commenced distribution of new operational pick-up vehicles to state offices and LGAs to address transportation challenges in difficult terrains, riverine communities and remote border settlements.

The INEC Chairman said: “The procurement and physical delivery of non-sensitive electoral materials to all
36 State Offices and the FCT have already commenced. Commencing procurement months in advance provides adequate lead time for batching, inventory auditing, and downstream distribution to the 774 Local Government Areas well ahead of Election Day.

“To resolve field transportation bottlenecks —especially in difficult terrains, riverine areas, and remote border settlements—the Commission has procured and commenced the distribution of brand-new operational pick-up vehicles to State Offices and LGAs nationwide.”