By Kazeem Waris
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, has said he has handed everything over to God as he prepares to conduct the 2027 general election amid the enormous logistical and technological challenges facing the commission.
Amupitan, who spoke on Wednesday at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, said his faith remained his anchor as he confronted the demands of conducting a credible election in Africa’s most populous country.
“I’m being reminded of the enormity of the task on me. I’m also encouraged by the word of God, which is, ‘Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ So that has been my anchor.
“And sometimes people say, ‘You are not bothered.’ I said, I’ve handed over everything to God,” he said.
The forum, organised by Yiaga Africa, was themed, “Safeguarding the 2027 General Election in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Addressing participants, the INEC chairman declared that artificial intelligence (AI) would not determine the outcome of the 2027 elections, insisting that the power to elect Nigeria’s leaders rested solely with the electorate.
“No, algorithms will not and must never decide the 2027 votes. Algorithms will not decide the vote because the choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people,” Amupitan said.
He said although AI would influence political communication, voter information and election logistics, the technology must serve democratic institutions rather than undermine them.
“Our task, therefore, at this forum and within the Commission is to ensure that AI remains a servant of democracy, not its master,” he added.
Amupitan disclosed that the 2027 general election would involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, describing the scale of the exercise as a major logistical undertaking.
He identified difficult terrain, insecurity and poor network coverage in some communities as challenges the commission must overcome to deliver a credible election.
The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission had completed 10 of the 14 major activities on its election timetable, despite the tight deadlines prescribed by the Electoral Act 2026.
According to him, INEC has procured and begun receiving additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices to strengthen its technological capacity ahead of the polls.
He said the commission had also digitised its candidate nomination process through the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal, which had processed more than 15,000 nominations across 22 political parties.
Amupitan added that INEC had introduced online voter registration and was implementing a decentralised, multi-phase Permanent Voter Card collection exercise nationwide.
On the potential benefits of AI, he said the technology could improve the deployment of election materials and personnel through predictive modelling and geospatial analysis.
He explained that AI-driven systems could analyse traffic patterns, weather forecasts, road conditions and security incidents to identify suitable routes for transporting electoral materials to polling units.
Such systems, he said, could also provide early warnings of weather-related disruptions and help the commission identify logistical bottlenecks before election day.
On electoral integrity, Amupitan said biometric voter accreditation and electronic transmission of polling-unit results had helped address vulnerabilities associated with manual accreditation and arbitrary manipulation of results.
He noted that AI could further assist in auditing uploaded polling-unit result sheets by detecting mathematical inconsistencies, unusual entry patterns and discrepancies in image quality.
However, he stressed that human collation remained the statutory standard for declaring election results, while AI could provide additional support in detecting anomalies.
The INEC chairman said the commission would continue to collaborate with civil society organisations, technology firms, regulatory bodies and security agencies to maximise the benefits of AI while guarding against threats to the electoral process.
He maintained that technology must strengthen democratic institutions without compromising Nigerians’ right to freely choose their leaders.
