The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has publicly claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is orchestrating a plan to manipulate the upcoming 2027 general elections in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) via the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, made the allegation in a statement titled “INEC’S PLAN TO RIG THE 2027 GENERAL ELECTIONS WITH AI,” questioning the commission’s decision to deploy AI ahead of the polls.
“INEC is plotting to rig the 2027 general elections in favour of the ruinous APC by deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI). Suddenly, AI has become an attractive tool for the election management body,” the statement read.
The NDC also questioned whether INEC could effectively use AI for elections when the country had yet to deploy the technology to address its security challenges.
“For a nation that has not been able to use AI to solve its intractable security challenges, is it the problem of electing public officers that it can now resolve with AI?” the statement added.
The party further queried why the commission had not tested the technology during off-cycle elections before considering its use in the 2027 general elections.
“Not even a test run of the efficiency, or otherwise, of AI tools in off-cycle elections? Why did INEC not test-run AI in the Osun polls? Why the hurry to use AI in the forthcoming general elections, just less than 100 days away? Something is amiss,” Director said.
The NDC called on Nigerians and the international community to oppose what it described as a plot by the electoral commission.
“All men and women of good conscience and the international community must rise to checkmate this diabolical plot by INEC,” the statement said.
What You Should Know
The Nigeria Democratic Congress is sounding the alarm over the electoral commission’s decision to introduce artificial intelligence into the voting process ahead of the 2027 general elections, arguing that the move is suspicious.
- Potential Concerns: The party worries that introducing untried technology without prior test runs in off-cycle elections could compromise the credibility of the polls and undermine public trust.
- Transparency and Accountability: The allegations place pressure on electoral authorities to be completely transparent regarding any technological upgrades or automation plans for the country’s voting infrastructure.
