INEC warns editors against AI deepfakes, unverified results ahead of 2027

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged Nigerian newsrooms to strengthen fact-checking and digital verification systems ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes could undermine public confidence in electoral information.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu State, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, gave the warning on Thursday at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) 2026 in Enugu. The conference is themed “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” with a focus on detecting and debunking AI disinformation.

Amupitan said advances in generative AI, voice cloning and deepfake technology had made it increasingly possible to fabricate convincing videos, audio recordings, photographs and documents and circulate them rapidly during elections.

He warned that fabricated videos purporting to show electoral officials announcing false results, cloned voices of election officials and manipulated result sheets could create confusion and undermine confidence in genuine electoral outcomes.

According to him, the greater danger was not simply that voters could believe individual falsehoods, but that widespread manipulation could make citizens distrust authentic information.

“Without a free, rigorous, courageous media, citizens vote in the dark,” Amupitan said, stressing the importance of professional journalism in providing voters with verified information.

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The INEC chairman urged media organisations to establish specialised fact-checking desks, deploy appropriate digital-forensic tools and verify election-related information before publication.

He also cautioned editors against publishing or amplifying privately collated election results before official declarations, saying conflicting figures could create confusion and weaken public confidence in the electoral process.

He said newsrooms should prioritise accuracy over the pressure to be first with election-related reports.

INEC, according to Amupitan, is also strengthening its technological capacity, including the use of artificial intelligence-related tools within its results-management processes, while maintaining human oversight of automated checks.

The commission has also begun a six-zone interactive meetings and readiness-assessment exercise as part of preparations for the 2027 elections.

President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba, said the media had a responsibility to hold power accountable and provide space for diverse voices in the democratic process.

The conference has brought together more than 500 editors, government officials, academics and other stakeholders to discuss democracy, elections, press freedom and AI-driven disinformation.

The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, called for stronger collaboration among newsrooms, including a possible rapid-response mechanism to counter election misinformation.

Former Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, also stressed the importance of a free press to democratic governance, while noting that AI presented both opportunities and risks for the media.

The conference’s focus on AI comes as Nigerian media organisations prepare for an electoral cycle in which manipulated digital content is expected to form an increasingly important part of the information environment.

For editors, the challenge will be to verify increasingly sophisticated digital material without sacrificing speed, while ensuring that legitimate election information reaches voters accurately and promptly