Concerns over the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections have intensified as media and political stakeholders warn that the misuse of artificial intelligence, weak institutions and gaps in the electoral process could undermine public confidence in the polls.
The concerns were raised at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference, organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu, with the theme, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive.”
Discussions at the conference focused on the growing threat of AI-generated misinformation and the need to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral institutions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who addressed the conference, urged the media to strengthen its fact-checking and verification mechanisms, warning that advances in artificial intelligence had made it increasingly easy to create convincing false information.
He said journalists and editors had an important role to play as gatekeepers between information and manipulation, particularly as fabricated audio, videos and images can spread rapidly through digital platforms.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has also warned that the misuse of AI is no longer a theoretical threat to the 2027 elections. The commission said generative AI had made manipulated content cheaper and more difficult to detect, potentially affecting voters and confidence in the electoral process.
Former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, meanwhile, expressed concern over the declining quality of elections in Nigeria and argued that election outcomes should be determined at the polling units rather than through prolonged court battles.
Former Nigerian Bar Association President, Afam Osigwe, also pointed to legal gaps surrounding the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing portal in election petitions.
Political economist Patrick Utomi warned that weak democratic institutions could undermine the legitimacy of elections, while other speakers called for stronger accountability and reforms to restore public confidence in the electoral system.
With the 2027 elections approaching, stakeholders have urged media organisations to prioritise verification over speed, strengthen fact-checking capacity and work with relevant institutions to counter AI-generated falsehoods before they influence public discourse.
Recent assessments have similarly identified unresolved legal issues, concerns over results transmission and public confidence in INEC as factors that could affect perceptions of the electoral process.
