A civil society organisation, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), has called for the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to strengthen transparency, efficiency and credibility in Nigeria's electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The call was made on Wednesday in Abuja during a Roundtable on AI Governance, Democracy, and Accountability in Nigeria, held under the theme 'Bridging the Governance Gap between AI, Elections, and Accountability in Nigeria.' The event brought together stakeholders from civil society, academia and the private sector to examine how emerging technologies could address long-standing challenges in Nigeria's elections, particularly logistics failures, result management gaps and misinformation.
AI Potential to Reduce Electoral Problems
Speaking at the roundtable, the Chief Executive Officer of PPDC, Lucy Abagi, said AI had the potential to significantly reduce recurring operational problems that have affected elections over the years. She noted that issues such as late arrival of election materials, missing supplies, and inconsistent performance of digital tools like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) had continued to undermine public confidence in electoral outcomes.
According to her, AI-powered systems could provide real-time tracking of election materials, improve voter accreditation processes and ensure faster, more reliable transmission of election data. 'How do we ensure that all polling units are automatically uploaded, that when materials arrive at polling units, ad hoc staff can immediately upload the arrival time and accredited voters automatically?' she asked.
Abagi explained that the goal was to make electoral processes more transparent and efficient, adding that AI could help INEC strengthen real-time monitoring and reduce human error in election administration. She also stressed the importance of extending digital governance innovations beyond urban centres, warning that rural communities must not be left behind in the adoption of new technologies.
'It's not just about urbanization using AI. We must ensure that people in grassroots communities who do not have access to internet or electricity can also benefit from digital governance,' she said.
Link to Open Government Partnership
The PPDC boss further linked the conversation to Nigeria's commitment under the Open Government Partnership (OGP), noting that transparency and civic participation remained essential to strengthening democracy. She disclosed that Nigeria had made progress in digital governance reforms and urged the Federal Government to promptly sign and implement the fourth National Action Plan (NAP4) under the OGP framework. According to her, effective implementation would deepen accountability, improve public sector transparency and strengthen electoral integrity.
Concerns Over Misinformation
Also speaking, the Programme Manager for Access to Justice at PPDC, Vivian Akagha, raised concerns over the growing influence of manipulated digital content on voter perception. She said many citizens, particularly at the grassroots, were vulnerable to misinformation and fake videos circulating on social media, which could distort electoral choices. Akagha stressed the need to balance innovation with safeguards, ensuring that AI does not become a tool for misinformation but rather a mechanism for strengthening electoral trust.
Academic Perspective on AI Regulation
A lecturer at the University of Abuja, Dr Jamila Mohamed Dahiru, described the initiative as timely, noting that AI could either strengthen or undermine democratic processes depending on how it is regulated and applied. She said while AI could improve voter registration, election monitoring and data management, it could also fuel deepfakes, hate speech and mistrust if left unchecked.
Dr Dahiru called for stronger regulation, public awareness and ethical frameworks to guide the deployment of AI in elections. 'It depends on who is using AI. It can be a curse or a blessing,' she said, adding that collaboration among government institutions, civil society and academia was essential to safeguard electoral integrity. She further urged policymakers and electoral authorities to harmonise digital tools and ensure that technology deployment does not erode public trust in democratic processes.
The stakeholders agreed that while concerns remain about misuse, AI presents a major opportunity to improve electoral administration and strengthen public confidence in Nigeria's democratic system ahead of 2027.
