2027: Yiaga Africa urges INEC to tackle AI misinformation

YIAGA Africa Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu

Yiaga Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to strengthen the capacity of its personnel to detect and counter artificial intelligence-generated misinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The organisation’s Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu, said INEC needed to improve the digital literacy of staff managing its information technology departments and social media platforms to enable the commission to respond effectively to emerging threats.

Mbamalu spoke on Wednesday at a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation, titled ‘AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote.’

She said the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence required electoral officials to acquire the technical knowledge needed to identify manipulated content and deploy appropriate tools to counter it.

“We are working with an electoral commission that is existing in a space that is evolving fast. The artificial intelligence-based ecosystem is evolving really fast and so there is a need for internal capacity building, especially with respect to personnel managing the IT departments of the commission and even the social media platforms of the commission,” she said.

Mbamalu added that INEC needed to equip its personnel with the knowledge to use AI tools to detect and counter manipulated content.

“Digital literacy is key, not just digital literacy to understand, even how to leverage AI tools to counter. Like I said, they use AI to find AI sometimes, and so that level of information is needed,” she said.

She also urged the commission to improve its response to misleading information, citing the controversy surrounding images purportedly taken from the voters’ register.

According to her, some people circulated images that were not from the register amid concerns about fictitious information, making it necessary for INEC to provide timely clarification.

“The other is also the response to issues as they come up. And I always give an example of the voter register. That was the most important issue that happened recently.

“While there were issues of fictitious information, some people immediately started creating images that were not from the voter register, and we expected INEC to respond to those kinds of information because once you remain silent, those things become viral,” she said.

The Yiaga Africa director said INEC could engage additional technical personnel or external support to help manage the information space ahead of the elections.

She further advised the commission to provide clarification rather than issue outright denials whenever concerns arise, noting that delayed explanations could undermine public trust.

“If there is an issue, you respond and rather than deny, provide clarity. But if there is something that is clearly fake, you provide the alternative truth to it,” she said.

Cybercrimes Act must not suppress free speech

Mbamalu also raised concerns about the application of the Cybercrimes Act, warning that journalists and citizens expressing opinions could become victims when the law was applied unfairly.

She called on the police to protect freedom of expression and press freedom while enforcing the law.

“The call is for fairness in application of the rules and, most importantly, that even in applying the provisions of the Cybercrimes Act, there’s a focus on the fundamental rights of freedom of expression,” she said.

She added that some citizens had faced consequences for sharing information that was not misinformation but was considered offensive by its recipients.