2027: Yiaga Africa urges INEC to tackle fake news, AI disinformation early
by Moronfolu Adeyemi · The Eagle OnlineYiaga Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strengthen its communication strategy and provide accurate, timely information to Nigerians to prevent artificial intelligence (AI)-generated disinformation from undermining public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisation’s Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu, warned that deliberate attempts to mislead voters could discourage electoral participation and erode trust in the electoral process.
Mbamalu made the call on Wednesday during a PUNCH Media Foundation webinar on AI, misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, where she urged INEC to adopt proactive measures to counter false information before it spreads.
She identified public confidence as a critical factor in determining citizens’ willingness to participate in elections, noting that Nigeria already faced significant trust challenges.
“When people are confident, then they are more inspired to participate. When they don’t trust the system, they are less inspired to participate.
“And I always say this: trust is a currency for electoral participation.
“For citizens, especially Nigerians, we already operate in a context where we naturally have a major trust issue as a people.
“This is a country where we ordinarily do not trust each other, so we struggle with trust.
“When it comes to the electoral process, if there is anything that anyone targets, if you want to limit participation or affect how citizens engage, the major target is trust and confidence, which is why we are having this conversation on AI and misinformation,” she said.
The #WatchingTheVote project lead said the growing use of digitally manipulated content had made it necessary for electoral stakeholders to strengthen information integrity before, during and after elections.
She identified disinformation, which involves deliberate attempts to deceive and manipulate the public, as a major challenge requiring urgent attention.
According to her, INEC must take the lead in providing reliable information and ensuring that citizens have access to credible updates throughout the electoral process.
“If the currency of all citizens’ participation is trust, then the first thing is to build trust and to build confidence.
“And what is the one important way of doing that? Provide accurate, timely information on the process.
“And as a civil society organisation and as observer groups working, our role first is to provide accurate information, which is why most of us conduct pre-election observation.
“But for the electoral commission in this process, INEC cannot be a silent or passive participant.
“INEC has, in fact, the most important role of being forthright and being proactive and timely with information, because it’s easier to pre-bunk than debunk,” she said.
Mbamalu explained that effective communication should extend beyond publishing updates on social media and using traditional media platforms, stressing the need for a clear schedule through which citizens could access verified electoral information.
“Now, providing timely information is not just about putting posts on social media platforms or leveraging traditional media. It’s also about providing information to citizens on where and when to access credible information.
“What we need from the electoral commission is a clear timeline on how INEC would provide information to citizens.
“We need to see that level of robustness in their communication strategy.
“For some countries in Africa, ahead of the elections we see a clear schedule on how many times the commission will have press briefings. So citizens know when to wait and when to listen for the commission to speak.
“That way, it allows voters or citizens to look for it, to focus on the single source of truth for the election, which is the electoral commission first.
“So providing information for me is not just how we provide information for the commission, but the timeliness, the method, the channels leveraged to provide information,” she said.
The Yiaga Africa director also called on INEC, the media and security agencies to establish coordinated response plans to address threats to information integrity ahead of the elections.
She stressed that electoral authorities should prioritise proactive communication and anticipate possible disinformation campaigns rather than wait for false reports to circulate before responding.
“To the electoral commission, what is very important is emphasis on proactive communication, timely communication, and ensuring we are pre-bunking because it is easier than debunking when it comes to elections,” she said.
Mbamalu urged stakeholders to identify possible scenarios, including the circulation of deepfake videos and fabricated announcements about changes to election dates, while agreeing on appropriate responses to such incidents.
She maintained that protecting the credibility of election-related information required collective responsibility rather than leaving the task to INEC alone.
The director also called for improved digital literacy among voters, journalists and civil society organisations to help citizens identify false information and avoid actions that could amplify its spread.
She further urged civil society groups and election observers deploying technology to strengthen collaboration and establish a code of conduct to guide their activities throughout the electoral process.
Media organisations, she added, should develop clear guidelines for handling election-related information to prevent the inadvertent amplification of false claims.
The PUNCH Media Foundation webinar, themed “AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote,” brought together stakeholders from the media, electoral administration, security, technology and civil society sectors to examine the risks associated with digitally manipulated content.
The discussion also focused on promoting responsible artificial intelligence use during the 2027 elections and developing measures to prevent the technology from being exploited to manipulate voters, spread disinformation and weaken public confidence in the electoral process.
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