The Obidient Movement has raised concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) plan to deploy Artificial Intelligence in the 2027 general elections, saying the technology should not be introduced without first resolving outstanding questions about electoral transparency and result management.
National Coordinator of the movement, Yunusa Tanko, made the position known in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, following INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan’s disclosure that the commission has commenced the deployment of AI tools within its results management process.
Amupitan had disclosed at the 24th All Nigeria Editors Conference in Enugu that INEC was using AI to identify discrepancies and administrative errors in election result records before final validation.
He also said the commission had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence division within its ICT department and developed an AI roadmap and governance framework based on human oversight, transparency and accountability, data protection, cybersecurity and public trust.
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According to the INEC chairman, the commission is also strengthening its defences against AI-generated disinformation, including fake result sheets, cloned voices of electoral officials, fabricated videos and forged official documents.
However, Tanko said the Obidient Movement is opposed to the proposed deployment, arguing that INEC had not provided sufficient details about how the technology would operate, the specific electoral problems it would address and the safeguards that would prevent misuse.
“The same INEC that has failed to address the most basic issues surrounding electoral transparency, result transmission and the credibility of its processes is now announcing plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence in the 2027 elections,” Tanko said.
“We reject this proposal in its entirety, particularly as the commission has failed to explain how this technology will work, what problems it is intended to solve and what safeguards will prevent its abuse.”
Tanko also referred to a recent analysis by Mundx Analytics concerning result sheets from the 2023 presidential election.
Mundx said it examined 164,659 accessible polling-unit result records and found that 52,947 carried metadata associated with the EMP2920 model linked to INEC’s BVAS, while 50,452 had another identifiable device model.
The organisation cautioned that the latter category was not exclusively made up of phones and could also include tablets and other devices.
Tanko argued that introducing more technology would not by itself guarantee credible elections without corresponding institutional accountability.
“Introducing AI into a system that has yet to account for its existing failures is not electoral reform. It is an attempt to distract Nigerians from the fundamental questions of institutional independence, transparency and accountability,” he said.
The movement called on INEC to publish a comprehensive plan for the 2027 elections, including details of the technologies, procedures and safeguards it intends to use.
It also demanded an independent audit of INEC’s electoral technology, with the findings and any proposed corrective measures made public.
Tanko further called for transparent and verifiable result transmission, insisting that votes recorded at polling units must be accurately reflected in the final results.
He also urged the commission to provide more information about its proposed use of AI and subject the technology to independent testing and public scrutiny.
The Obidient Movement’s coordinator said Amupitan still had time to reconsider the commission’s approach before the 2027 elections.
“The INEC Chairman, Mr Josh Amupitan, still has enough time to retrace his steps before it is too late. The people’s mandate is not negotiable,” Tanko added.
