2027 Elections: AI-Driven Misinformation Threatens Polls, Stakeholders Warn

Stakeholders in the media industry have warned that the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to produce fake election results, deepfake videos and manipulated audio poses a serious threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

They also raised concerns over shrinking civic space, legal encumbrances against press freedom and the economic survival of media organisations.

This was contained in a communiqué address to Leadership Newspaper, Gusau which was issued at the end of the 8th Bagauda Kaltho Media Lecture Series organised by the Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) to commemorate the posthumous birthday of investigative journalist, Bagauda Kaltho.

The lecture, with theme, “Courageous Journalism, Press Freedom and the Challenge of Election Misinformation Ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 General Elections,” .

The keynote address was delivered by the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of Premium Times, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, who examined the historic role of journalism in Nigeria’s independence, democratic development and resistance to military rule.

The communiqué, jointly signed by the Publisher of Jewel Treasure Newspaper, Titus Usman and Executive Director, AMDF, Sekyen Dadik, noted that journalism played a pivotal role in the struggle for independence and defence of democratic values, adding that the legacy of journalists such as Bagauda Kaltho underscores courage and commitment to accountability.

According to the communiqué, while digital transformation has disrupted traditional media business models, resulting in underpaid journalists and weakened institutions, the speed and reach of social media has enabled misinformation to spread faster than fact-checkers can respond.

It further noted that journalists continue to face legal challenges, including the application of the Cybercrimes Act and other outdated laws that restrict journalistic freedom.

The lecture therefore recommended that journalists and media organisations strengthen ethical standards, invest in continuous training in fact-checking, digital verification and investigative journalism, and promote a culture of verification rather than reproducing unverified social media content.

It called on government and public institutions to support credible fact-checking mechanisms, strengthen engagement between security agencies and the media, and review restrictive laws impeding press freedom.

The communiqué also urged technology companies and digital platforms to collaborate with journalists and civil society to curb harmful disinformation and support tools for detecting manipulated and synthetic content.

It further called for the promotion of media literacy at community level, encouraging citizens to verify information before sharing, particularly during election periods, through schools, religious organisations and other social institutions.

While recognising capacity-building initiatives such as the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) Campus Journalism Programme in preparing young journalists for the evolving media environment, the lecture called for a multi-stakeholder response involving journalists, government, technology companies, civil society and citizens to strengthen the information ecosystem ahead of 2027.

It emphasised that protecting credible journalism was not the sole responsibility of journalists, and stressed that security and legislative institutions must create an enabling environment for legitimate journalism to thrive, while citizens must develop critical thinking to differentiate verified information from fabricated content.