The Independent National Electoral Commission has moved to embed artificial intelligence at the heart of its operations, inaugurating a specialised AI Division within its Information and Communication Technology Department after its weekly meeting on Thursday.
In a statement signed by National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Sam Olumekun, INEC said the new unit will help the commission unlock AI’s advantages for “data-driven decision-making, risk detection and mitigation, streamlined voter-service automation and geo-spatial intelligence for smarter logistics and polling-unit deployment.”
Olumekun noted that INEC’s decision follows a series of regional conferences where election managers across Africa examined both the dangers and the promise of AI. “While we remain vigilant about deepfakes, disinformation and other malicious uses of AI, we are equally determined to harness its positive power for credible elections,” he said.
According to the statement, the division will:
Provide centralised AI governance so INEC can squeeze maximum value from its existing technology investments.
Deliver real-time analytics that sharpen strategic planning and bolster risk-management frameworks.
Automate voter-service touchpoints to offer faster, more reliable assistance to citizens.
Deploy predictive models and intelligent safeguards that raise the overall integrity of the electoral process.
INEC stressed that the initiative is part of the commission’s broader internal reform agenda—changes that fall within its administrative authority and do not require new legislation. By institutionalising AI now, the commission believes it is positioning Nigeria’s 2027 general election—and subsequent polls—on a firmer, more transparent technological footing.
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