By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Electoral Stakeholders have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make its artificial intelligence governance framework available for public review before its application in Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
They made the call at a plenary session titled Governing AI in Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguards, Accountability and Electoral Integrity at the AI for Democracy Forum, organized by YIAGA Africa, in Abuja on Thursday.
Speaking on engagement, Dr. Lisa Poggiali, the Chief AI Advisor to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) cautioned against deploying artificial intelligence across every aspect of elections without first establishing the problems it would solve.
According to her, the electoral bodies should assess whether the technology would provide practical solutions, noting that some technologically sophisticated election management bodies had decided against using AI because of public trust concerns.
“Some of the most technologically sophisticated election management bodies in the world do not use AI because they have made the decision that it’s not worth it from a public trust perspective,” she said.
Poggiali, however, clarified that she supported AI adoption, urging electoral bodies to identify specific challenges before deciding whether the technology was appropriate.
“I’m not anti-AI at all. I fully support the use of it, but I think we need to start with the problem that we’re trying to solve before we decide whether AI is the right choice,” she noted.
She also urged election management bodies to engage technology companies collectively, arguing that a regional approach could strengthen their ability to demand changes that reflect public expectations.
On his part, former INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, emphasised the importance of transparency throughout the electoral process, including timely access to information about results collation.
“At every point in the process, information to the public will be key, and that is what transparency is about. It is not enough to release results on election day; the public must also be informed beforehand about how the process will work,” Ibeanu said.
He also highlighted logistical challenges associated with transporting physical result sheets from remote locations to collation centres in the Federal Capital Territory.
“Sometimes it takes a long time from very remote and difficult terrains in the FCT to bring all those results together,” he added.
Cynthia Mbamalu, Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa, called for a collective demand on INEC to release its AI governance framework for public scrutiny and contributions before implementation.
“I believe that the call to INEC should be a joint call and demand for the framework to be made available so that we can all review and also make inputs before it is finally applied,” she stated.
Mbamalu also urged political parties to take greater responsibility for understanding and engaging with the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.
“I do believe that it is a huge responsibility on our political parties to get our act right and actually begin to engage this process right now,” she said.
PerSecondNews earlier reported that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had said the commission established an AI unit within its Information and Communication Technology department.
He disclosed that the commission was working with IFES, with support from the UK High Commission, to finalise a governance framework for the use of artificial intelligence
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