By Paul Joseph
Information Technology experts, including Folajimi Fakoya, Professor Adenike Osofisan from the University of Ibadan, and Professor Adelaja Odukoya, Dean of Social Sciences at the University of Lagos, have called for the strategic implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to facilitate free, fair, and credible elections in 2027.
During a panel discussion at the University of Ibadan titled “AI and the 2027 General Elections in Nigeria: The Realities, The Fakes and The Absurd,” the specialists urged the Federal Government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other stakeholders to leverage AI’s potential while being cautious of its associated risks.
Fakoya highlighted the transformative impact of AI on electoral processes, particularly in voter registration, which he deemed the most crucial stage of any election.
He pointed out that AI-driven chatbots could significantly enhance voter education by offering real-time assistance to millions of Nigerians at once.
He stated, “A single chatbot can handle over one million inquiries simultaneously. No human can achieve that. Such tools could foster inclusivity and increase voter turnout among those who are digitally literate.
AI’s generative capabilities can also be effectively utilized to create educational content in relevant local languages.”
Fakoya also issued a serious warning about the dual nature of this technology, noting its ability to generate “digitally true but physically false” content hyperrealistic fabrications that can deceive human perception.
He explained how such content could be targeted and personalized by algorithms to exploit individual biases.
He provided hypothetical yet plausible scenarios to illustrate the risks: “A voter sees a video of violence at their polling station on election morning; a party supporter encounters an image of their candidate with a rival; a religious follower comes across a manipulated photo of their spiritual leader designed to incite violence.”
Each of these scenarios, he cautioned, could be used to strategically suppress voter engagement and disenfranchise individuals through misinformation, exploiting cultural and ethnic divisions, and fundamentally undermining the trust and loyalty essential in politics, while placing immense pressure on security agencies.
To mitigate this threat, Fakoya advocated for legislation that would require social media companies to implement AI algorithms capable of detecting and clearly labeling the origin of every posted item, indicating the extent of AI involvement, regardless of how it is reshared.
He referenced a Yoruba proverb, stating, “the same white man who made the pencil also made the eraser,” to emphasize the need for urgent transparency measures alongside swift fact-checking and digital literacy initiatives.
In her comments, the lead speaker, Professor Osofisan, expressed concern that election rigging begins not on Election Day but at the registration stage
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