Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the creation of a new Artificial Intelligence Division under its Information and Communication Technology Department.
The announcement was made in a statement issued by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun.
According to the statement, the move was approved during the commission’s regular weekly meeting held on Thursday in Abuja.
The statement noted that the establishment of the AI Division followed INEC’s participation in a series of continental conferences focused on the impact of AI on elections.
The commission noted the dual nature of AI, acknowledging both the threats it poses, such as the spread of misinformation and content manipulation and the opportunities it offers in areas such as data-driven decision-making, risk management, and service automation.
“The commission held its regular weekly meeting today, Thursday, 22nd May 2025. Among other issues, the meeting considered the increasing relevance of Artificial Intelligence to elections and electoral activities in Nigeria and across the world.
“Recently, the commission attended several conferences with colleagues around the continent on the impact of AI on elections.
“These interactions were not only motivated by the concern over the use of AI to spread fake news or manipulate content online but also to utilise its benefits for data-driven decision-making, risk detection and mitigation, deepening voter services automation and geo-spatial intelligence in support of logistic optimisation for better material distribution and polling unit allocation,” the statement read in part.
INEC said the new division will help harness AI’s potential to improve logistical planning, material distribution, and polling unit allocation through geo-spatial intelligence. It also aims to enhance the integrity and efficiency of elections by utilising predictive analytics and intelligent automation.
According to the commission, centralising AI governance will allow for better coordination of technological resources and contribute to a more credible and transparent electoral process.
“Consequently, the commission approved the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Division under the ICT Department to continue to harness the positive aspects of AI and mitigate its negative impact on elections.
“The division will enable the commission to better coordinate and maximise existing technology investments through centralised AI governance. It will also enhance decision-making through data-driven insights, risk management and voter engagement. Furthermore, it will strengthen electoral credibility through predictive analytics, automation and intelligent safeguards.
“This initiative puts the commission in the forefront of institutionalising AI capabilities within our ICT infrastructure. It is also an important step in our ongoing reform of the electoral process in areas that only require administrative action by the commission,” the statement added.
