INEC TURNS TO AI TO DETECT ELECTION RESULT DISCREPANCIES Okwo Romeon ABUJA

 Chairman warns technology must not replace human judgement

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has said the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) in election management will depend less on technological sophistication than on the strength of the institutions, governance systems and safeguards regulating its use.

Amupitan made the observation on Thursday in Ottawa, Canada, while addressing the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, where he presented Nigeria’s experience and emerging lessons in the responsible use of AI for electoral administration.

Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN,
Nigeria INEC Chairman 
He was accompanied by INEC’s director of information and communication technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode.


The INEC chairman said the increasing influence of algorithms and data systems on democratic processes had made responsible technological innovation an important consideration for election management bodies.


He said Nigeria had progressively adopted technology to improve the credibility and efficiency of its elections, citing the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and Automated Biometrics Identification System (ABIS) as examples of technologies deployed to reduce human error and manual interference.


Amupitan noted that the scale of Nigeria’s electoral operations made technology increasingly indispensable, with more than 93 million registered voters, about 180,000 polling units and approximately 185,000 BVAS devices operating across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He cautioned, however, that AI adoption should not become an exercise in technological experimentation, but must be justified by measurable improvements in electoral administration, public service and citizens’ confidence in the electoral process.

“AI must strengthen electoral integrity, improve public service, and always remain under human control,” he said.»


The chairman outlined the legal framework supporting technological deployment in Nigeria’s elections, including the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, INEC regulations, the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Cybercrimes Act 2024.


He also highlighted provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 covering the voters’ register, electronic voting devices, biometric accreditation, electronic transmission of results and the use of accreditation and transmitted results during the collation and declaration of election results.


Amupitan disclosed that INEC had begun institutional preparations for the responsible adoption of AI, stressing that the technology was being approached as an institutional reform issue rather than simply an ICT project.

According to him, the commission has established an Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department, developed an AI Roadmap for phased adoption and prepared an AI Governance Framework that is currently undergoing internal approval.


The commission has also commenced AI literacy and technical capacity-building programmes for staff, while adopting a multidisciplinary approach involving its ICT, Operations, Legal, Voter Education and Risk Management departments, among others.

“

Responsible AI begins with institutional readiness — not technology,” Amupitan said.

He identified five principles underpinning INEC’s AI initiatives: human oversight; transparency and accountability; data protection and privacy; cybersecurity and risk management; and operational value and public trust.

The chairman stressed that AI would remain an aid to election officials and would not replace human responsibility for electoral decisions.

Giving an insight into one of the commission’s initiatives, Amupitan said INEC had introduced an intelligent Results Management process designed to assist officials in identifying discrepancies in election result records.

He said the broader objective was to ensure that emerging technologies strengthened electoral integrity while preserving institutional accountability, human oversight and public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic processes.

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