BREAKING: Obidient Movement raises concerns over INEC’s planned AI use ahead of 2027

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Obidient Movement has raised concerns over what it described as growing secrecy and alleged institutional collusion between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement issued by its Media and Communications Directorate, the group questioned INEC’s plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the electoral process, arguing that the Commission should first address concerns surrounding transparency, result transmission and public confidence in its processes.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan, has said the Commission is developing an AI Roadmap and an AI Governance Framework for the phased and responsible adoption of AI in electoral administration. He said the technology would be assessed for factors including processing errors, efficiency, security, public confidence and sustainability before any nationwide expansion.

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The Movement, however, said it was concerned about the proposed use of AI and demanded that INEC publicly explain how the technology would work, the problems it was intended to address and the safeguards that would prevent abuse.

The group argued that technology alone could not guarantee credible elections without strong institutional safeguards and accountability.

It also cited an alleged recent investigation by Mundx Analytics, claiming that presidential results from more than 50,000 polling units were uploaded from private mobile phones during the 2023 election. The Movement alleged that the uploads were part of efforts to undermine the electoral process. The claim was not independently established in the statement.

“No amount of technological sophistication can deliver credible elections when the institution responsible for conducting them is compromised,” the group said.

The Movement also raised concerns about INEC’s ICT leadership, particularly the continued involvement of Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, in preparations for the 2027 elections.

It alleged that Bayode and other officials were involved in the disputed management of electoral technology during the 2023 election and called for greater independence and public scrutiny of the Commission’s ICT leadership. Those allegations were not independently established in the statement.

The Movement said INEC should:

1. Publish a comprehensive 2027 election plan, including the technologies, procedures and safeguards it intends to deploy.
2. Conduct an independent audit of its electoral technology and publicly disclose the findings and corrective measures.
3. Guarantee transparent and verifiable result transmission, ensuring that results from polling units can be independently verified.
4. Explain its proposed use of AI and subject the technology to independent testing and public scrutiny.
5. Strengthen the independence of its ICT leadership to improve public confidence in the electoral process.

The group further warned that any attempt to manipulate the 2027 elections could trigger widespread public anger and undermine democratic stability.

It urged INEC Chairman Amupitan to address concerns over the Commission’s electoral preparations and ensure that the process is transparent, accountable and capable of commanding public confidence.

“The people’s mandate is not negotiable,” the Movement said.

INEC has meanwhile maintained that it has no candidate or political party to favour ahead of the 2027 elections and has said its preparations are guided by institutional safeguards, legal requirements, cybersecurity and transparency.