The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is introducing artificial intelligence (AI) to verify electronically entered election results against scanned result sheets before they are uploaded to its portal ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The initiative is aimed at reducing human errors, improving transparency and protecting public confidence in the electoral process amid concerns over AI-generated misinformation, cloned videos and synthetic voices.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this on Thursday at the launch of the AI for Elections Programme and Hackathon organised by Rise Networks in Abuja. He said the commission had established an Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department and was developing guidelines for the responsible use of the technology.
Bayode explained that the system would identify discrepancies between electronically entered figures and scanned result sheets, requiring inconsistencies to be resolved before the results could be uploaded.
“If the electronically entered figures are consistent with the scanned results, the system allows the results to be uploaded automatically to the portal,” he said.
He added that the system was designed to ensure results published on INEC’s portal accurately reflected figures recorded at polling units. However, he warned that innovation must not undermine security, operational stability or public trust, urging developers to use publicly available or authorised data without exposing critical election infrastructure.
Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Sade Dada, said AI-generated content had made it increasingly difficult for citizens to distinguish genuine information from manipulated material, creating new risks for election integrity.
“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 emerging threats but noted that AI could also help detect manipulated content and provide reliable electoral information in local languages. Dada cited GovGuide Nigeria, an AI-powered chatbot developed through a partnership involving Meta, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and Nigerian company Publica AI. The chatbot provides government information in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba and could serve as a model for helping voters access accurate information about registration, polling units and election procedures.
The programme’s convener, Dr Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, said the initiative would bring together developers, researchers, journalists, election experts and civil society groups to develop practical technology solutions for Nigeria’s electoral challenges. She said the programme builds on Run-Am, an AI-powered misinformation detection and fact-checking application developed for the 2023 elections.
The initiative will focus on reliable electoral information, data analysis, multilingual civic technology, cybersecurity, election observation and citizen accountability. It will also establish an AI Innovations Development Hub and a Community of Practice to support promising projects beyond the competition.
Applications opened on October 22 and will close on November 12, 2026. Nigerians aged 18 and above can apply individually or in teams of up to four. The competition offers a ₦10 million prize pool, with ₦4 million for the overall winner, ₦2.5 million for second place and ₦1.5 million for third place. Four additional special awards of ₦500,000 each are also available.
Professor Victor Odumuyiwa of the University of Lagos urged INEC to prioritise locally developed solutions, arguing that Nigerian developers were well positioned to understand and address the country’s electoral challenges.
“We understand our context, we know the problems, and we are the ones best placed to solve them,” he said.
Lawyer Tsema Ede highlighted the legal and ethical implications of using AI in elections, noting that the technology could support voter education, electoral malpractice monitoring and cybersecurity but would require safeguards against misuse.
Organisers said the programme would remain non-partisan, prohibiting projects designed to influence voters’ preferences or interfere with election administration. Unauthorised testing of live electoral systems is also forbidden, and winning the competition will not automatically grant permission to deploy a project operationally.
The initiative is scheduled to conclude with a national grand finale in Lagos on December 16, followed by technical support for selected innovations.
