In a crowded hall in Abuja, a remarkable coalition of minds came together with a shared sense of urgency: software developers, journalists, lawyers, election experts, data analysts, and civic technologists. They were not merely there to celebrate technology; they were there to confront one of the most pressing threats to democracy in the digital age — the manipulation of information. At the official launch of the “AI for Elections Programme and Hackathon,” organized by Rise Networks in collaboration with Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the MacArthur Foundation, these experts issued a clear and collective call for the responsible use of artificial intelligence ahead of the 2027 general election. It was a moment of both caution and hope, as stakeholders acknowledged that AI could either poison the well of public trust or help purify it, depending on how it is deployed. The initiative is designed to channel the energy and creativity of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem into solving five critical challenges: trustworthy electoral information, electoral data analysis, inclusive civic technology, cybersecurity, and election observation. In a nation where voters are increasingly bombarded with false claims, manipulated videos, and synthetic voices, the need for such a program has never been more urgent. The launch itself felt less like a typical policy event and more like a rallying cry — a recognition that Nigeria’s democracy cannot be protected by laws and institutions alone, but must also be defended by the very tools that are being used to undermine it. The atmosphere was electric with possibility, but also grounded in the sobering reality of what happens when disinformation runs unchecked: confused voters, disputed results, and a weakening of faith in the democratic process itself. What emerged from the discussions was a shared understanding that AI is not inherently good or bad; it is a tool shaped by human choices. And those choices, the experts argued, must be made with the integrity of elections and the dignity of voters at the forefront.
One of the most compelling voices at the event was Sade Dada, Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, who took the stage to paint a vivid picture of the new information battlefield. She spoke candidly about how artificial intelligence had made the information environment far more challenging, pointing to synthetic voices and cloned videos as especially dangerous threats to the spread of reliable information. These technologies, once confined to science fiction, are now so sophisticated that ordinary citizens can no longer easily tell what is real and what is fabricated. A voter might receive a video of a politician saying something inflammatory, only to discover later that the words were never spoken; or an audio clip might be doctored to make it sound like an electoral official is confessing to fraud. In this environment, trust becomes the scarcest resource in politics. But Dada did not leave the room in despair. She reminded the audience that the same technology responsible for these threats could also be used to defend against them. AI can identify manipulated content, flag deepfakes, and support fact-checking efforts at scale. It can also provide citizens with trustworthy information in languages they understand, breaking down the barriers of language and literacy that often leave marginalized communities in the dark. Her central message was simple yet profound: “Elections are decided by voters. Voters make decisions based on what they believe, and what they believe depends on what they can trust.” It was a reminder that democracy is not truly about machines counting ballots, but about human beings making choices — and those choices are only meaningful when they are based on truth. Dada went on to highlight several practical approaches that could support information integrity: labeling AI-generated content so that people know when they are seeing synthetic media, ensuring political advertising is transparently disclosed, and building multilingual verification tools that can reach voters across Nigeria’s diverse linguistic landscape. She called for collaboration across sectors, acknowledging that no single company, government agency, or civil society organization could solve the problem alone. Her words resonated deeply, because they spoke not just to the mechanics of technology, but to the lived experience of ordinary Nigerians who are trying to make sense of an increasingly confusing information landscape.
The conversation then shifted from the dangers of disinformation to the transformative potential of AI inside the electoral system itself. Dr Bayode Lawrence, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the commission is embracing artificial intelligence to make elections more transparent and credible. He stressed that AI could improve electoral administration far beyond the hype, but only if deployed without compromising the integrity, transparency, and credibility of the electoral process. That caveat was important, because it signaled that INEC is not interested in flashy technological gimmicks; it wants practical tools that solve real problems. Lawrence revealed that the commission is already exploring AI applications in voter information services, electoral data management, operational efficiency, and the detection of misinformation and disinformation. But the most striking revelation came when he described the intelligent document processing technology being used in INEC’s election result management system. In the past, the manual transcription of results from polling units to collation centers created opportunities for human error — and, in some cases, deliberate manipulation. Now, INEC is using AI to digitize result sheets and then cross-check electronically entered figures against scanned copies before the results are uploaded. If there is a discrepancy, the system simply refuses to accept the upload until the issue is resolved. This may sound like a dry technical detail, but for Nigerian voters, it represents something deeply reassuring: a safeguard designed to ensure that the numbers displayed on election portals are exactly what voters recorded at polling units. Lawrence’s description painted a picture of a system that is learning to police itself, catching mistakes before they become controversies. It was the kind of quiet, unglamorous work that rarely makes headlines but is essential to building confidence in democratic institutions. In a country where past elections have been marred by accusations of rigging and opaque result transmission, the promise of AI-driven accountability is not just a convenience; it is a lifeline for electoral legitimacy. The message from INEC was clear: technology is not a magic wand, but when applied thoughtfully and ethically, it can restore a measure of faith in a process that millions of people depend on to have their voices heard.
Behind the institutional frameworks and policy speeches, there was also a deep focus on the people who would actually build these solutions. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, the convener of the programme, delivered a passionate presentation that shifted the spotlight onto the hackathon participants themselves. She explained that the initiative was deliberately designed to address the needs of underserved communities — those who often speak minority languages, live in remote areas, or have limited access to information. Hackathon participants would not be asked to dream up abstract ideas in isolation; they would work with sample datasets provided specifically for the exercise, giving them a taste of the real challenges that INEC and election observers face. They would also be required to comply with cybersecurity standards, ensuring that their innovations strengthen the electoral infrastructure without interfering with it. This last point was a delicate but crucial one: the goal is not to hack the election system, but to protect it. Akerele-Ogunsiji emphasized that the project would extend far beyond the hackathon itself, evolving into an AI Innovations Development Hub and a Community of Practice designed to sustain collaboration among Nigerians working on electoral issues. It was an inspiring vision of technology as a team sport, with young developers from Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and beyond contributing their talents to a common cause. The human element was impossible to ignore: these are not faceless coders, but citizens with a stake in the future of their country. Many of them have grown up in an era of both digital possibility and digital distrust, and they understand intuitively that the same tools used to spread fake news can also be used to spread reliable information. By providing them with mentorship, data, and a platform, the programme hopes to turn their creativity into tangible solutions that can be deployed in time for the 2027 elections. The convener’s words reminded everyone present that democracy is not preserved by elites in boardrooms alone; it is built, maintained, and renewed by engaged citizens who refuse to accept the world as it is and choose instead to imagine what it could be.
Yet, as with any powerful tool, the use of artificial intelligence in elections carries risks that cannot be ignored. This point was taken up with remarkable clarity by Tsema Ede, a lawyer who spoke on the legal, ethical, and regulatory considerations of AI in the electoral space. She acknowledged the enormous opportunities: automated monitoring of electoral malpractice, more effective voter education, and improved cybersecurity. But she also warned that AI can be used for harm — to suppress voters, amplify propaganda, or unfairly target political opponents. The same algorithms that can generate a friendly voter reminder can also be deployed to spread lies about a candidate or to intimidate minority communities. Because AI has both beneficial and potentially harmful applications, Ede argued, legal and ethical considerations must be woven into the fabric of any election-related solution from the very beginning. It is not enough to build a tool and hope for the best; developers must ask hard questions about who will use it, how it might be misused, and what safeguards exist to protect vulnerable people. She reminded the room that technology always carries the fingerprints of its creators, and that unexamined assumptions can become unintended biases. In an electoral context, this is especially dangerous. If an AI system is trained on data that excludes certain linguistic groups or regions, its outputs could inadvertently disenfranchise large portions of the population. If an algorithm is used to detect misinformation, its decisions must be subject to human review to avoid silencing legitimate voices. Ede’s speech was a sobering counterbalance to the optimism of the day, but it was not a rejection of AI. Rather, it was an invitation to be thoughtful, to proceed with caution, and to build legal frameworks that are flexible enough to adapt to new challenges while being strong enough to protect democratic values. Her intervention underscored a vital truth: responsible AI is not just a technical problem, but a governance problem. It requires clear rules, independent oversight, and a commitment to transparency and accountability. Without these, even the best-intentioned technology can become a weapon against the very people it is meant to serve. The room left her session with a more nuanced understanding of what “responsible use” actually means — not caution for its own sake, but a deliberate and continuous process of reflection, regulation, and revision.
As the event drew to a close, the practical details of the programme came into sharp focus, grounding the high-minded rhetoric in concrete action. The hackathon opened nationwide on Thursday and will close on November 12, 2026, giving participants ample time to develop their ideas from concept to prototype. Eligibility is broad and inclusive: any Nigerian aged 18 and above living in the country can take part. This open invitation is in itself a powerful statement — it says that protecting democracy is not a job for a select few, but a responsibility shared by all citizens. After the submission deadline, entries will undergo a rigorous selection process, after which finalists will proceed to mentoring, prototyping, and screening. They will have support from an impressive array of technology and civil society partners, including Meta, Microsoft, ICIR, Real Broadcasting Network, nithub, CLEEN Foundation, Top Initiative, and Google. These partnerships demonstrate that the challenge of information integrity is seen as a shared mission across sectors. But beyond the logistics, what lingered in the air after the formal presentations ended was a sense of possibility. In a year when misinformation and disinformation are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and when public confidence in democratic processes is under strain around the world, the decision by Nigerian institutions and their partners to confront the AI challenge head-on is both courageous and necessary. The path ahead will not be easy. Building trustworthy AI systems requires time, talent, and relentless vigilance. But the launch of the AI for Elections Programme and Hackathon marks a meaningful step in the right direction — a recognition that technology, when guided by human values, can be a powerful ally in the struggle for truth and transparency. The hope, voiced again and again throughout the day, is that by the time Nigerians go to the polls in 2027, the machinery of democracy will be stronger, the information ecosystem cleaner, and the trust of voters more justified. In the end, the goal is not to let machines decide elections. It is to use every tool available to ensure that human beings can decide elections freely, fairly, and with the confidence that their voices truly matter.