Nigeria: 2027 - I've Handed Everything Over to God, Says INEC Chairman

What the report says

At a forum in Abuja on Wednesday, Independent National Electoral Commission chairman Joash Ojo Amupitan said he has “handed everything over to God” as he takes on the task of overseeing Nigeria’s 2027 general election. The remarks came at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026, organized by Yiaga Africa, where the central theme focused on protecting the election in an era of artificial intelligence.

According to the report published by Vanguard and distributed by AllAfrica, Amupitan told participants that AI should not decide election outcomes and that the authority to choose Nigeria’s leaders remains with voters. He said the technology may affect information flows, logistics and political messaging, but should serve democracy rather than control it. He also noted that human collation remains the legal standard for declaring results.

Amupitan used the forum to outline INEC’s preparations for the 2027 polls, including progress on its election timetable, additional voter accreditation devices, a digitized nomination portal, online voter registration and a staged nationwide PVC collection exercise. He said the scale of the election, with more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units, creates major logistical challenges, especially in areas with insecurity, difficult terrain and weak network coverage.

The comments reflect growing debate in Nigeria about the role of AI in elections. More generally, election officials in many countries are examining how digital tools can improve administration while also guarding against misinformation, manipulation and technical abuse.