As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general
elections, electoral stakeholders, media professionals, technology experts and
civil society organisations will gather in Abuja for a two-day national summit
to examine the growing threats posed by artificial intelligence, disinformation
and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) to the country's
electoral process.
The summit, titled “Beyond the Ballot: Safeguarding
Electoral Information Integrity in the Age of AI,” will take place on 2 and 3
November 2026 at the Abuja Continental Hotel.
Organised by the International Press
Centre (IPC) and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), in collaboration
with DAI and International IDEA, the summit is being held under the European
Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme, funded
by the European Union.
The gathering comes amid growing concerns
about the potential misuse of artificial intelligence and digital communication
technologies to influence elections. Deepfake videos, AI-generated audio,
manipulated images, coordinated disinformation campaigns and misleading online
narratives are creating new challenges for electoral institutions, journalists
and citizens.
With the 2027 general elections
approaching, the summit will examine how these technologies could be used to
distort electoral information, influence public perceptions, create confusion
among voters and undermine confidence in election outcomes.
Speaking on behalf of the EU-SDGN
Programme, Lanre Arogundade said the summit was designed to encourage practical
responses to emerging threats to electoral information integrity ahead of the
2027 elections.
The challenge before us is no longer
simply whether false information can influence elections. Artificial
intelligence has made it possible to produce convincing images, videos and
audio recordings capable of misleading millions of people within minutes. As
Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections, we must ask whether our electoral
institutions, the media, technology platforms and citizens are sufficiently
prepared to recognise and respond to these threats.
“Beyond the Ballot is not just another
conference about information disorder. It is an opportunity to test our
preparedness, examine institutional responsibilities and identify practical
measures to protect the integrity of electoral information. Our objective is to
ensure that Nigerians can make electoral decisions based on credible
information rather than manipulation, deception or manufactured narratives,”
Arogundade said.
The summit is expected to bring together
approximately 250 participants, including representatives of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), media organisations, technology
platforms, fact-checking organisations, civil society groups, government
institutions, academia and other stakeholders involved in Nigeria's electoral
process.
A major highlight of the event will be an
interactive simulation of an AI-driven electoral disinformation crisis,
designed to test how institutions and information actors respond when
misleading content spreads during an election.
Beyond the simulation, the summit will
feature discussions on the responsibilities of digital platforms, the influence
of social media content creators, the implications of foreign information
manipulation and interference, and the changing role of journalism in an
increasingly AI-driven information environment.
Participants will examine the challenges
of detecting manipulated content, verifying election-related claims,
communicating accurate information during electoral emergencies and
strengthening public resilience against disinformation.
The gathering will also provide an
opportunity to identify practical measures for improving institutional
preparedness, strengthening cooperation among stakeholders and ensuring that
citizens have access to credible information throughout the electoral process.
The summit is expected to contribute to
ongoing national discussions about protecting electoral information integrity
while safeguarding freedom of expression, media independence and citizens'
right to information.
As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027
general elections, the summit will address a fundamental question: how can
electoral institutions, the media, technology platforms and citizens protect
the credibility of electoral information in an era when artificial intelligence
is making it increasingly difficult to distinguish authentic content from
fabricated material?
