The European Union (EU) has warned that Nigeria’s 2027 general elections could be undermined through artificial intelligence-driven misinformation, fabricated announcements and manipulated election results, even without a single ballot being physically altered.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, gave the warning in Abuja on Monday at the opening of the National Summit on Electoral Information Integrity, stressing the need to protect the country’s electoral process from emerging digital threats.

Mignot reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting initiatives aimed at strengthening information integrity, media resilience and responsible digital engagement as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 elections.

The summit, organised by the International Press Centre (IPC) and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), with EU support under the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria programme and DAI, brought together electoral officials, media practitioners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to develop strategies for countering digital manipulation.

The EU’s intervention comes amid growing concerns that artificial intelligence could be exploited to generate convincing fake videos, clone voices, fabricate statements by public officials and circulate false election announcements capable of misleading voters and eroding confidence in democratic institutions.

Opening the summit, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, SAN, said electoral threats had moved beyond physical interference at polling units to sophisticated digital operations capable of influencing public opinion before voting begins.

“INEC cannot police the truth alone,” Amupitan said, calling for a united front involving government institutions, security agencies, media organisations, technology companies and civil society.

He said public awareness alone was insufficient to address the challenge, urging stakeholders to establish coordinated response mechanisms, institutionalised fact-checking channels and clear procedures for escalating suspected cases of information manipulation.

The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission was strengthening its technological and communication capacity to detect manipulated content, verify suspicious information and issue timely clarifications across traditional and digital platforms.

He, however, cautioned that efforts to combat misinformation must not be used to suppress press freedom, freedom of expression or legitimate political dissent.

Former INEC chairman and chairman of the occasion, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said artificial intelligence offered significant opportunities to improve governance and electoral administration but warned that its deployment in the electoral environment required careful attention to potential risks.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, said the struggle for voters’ trust was already unfolding on digital platforms long before citizens arrived at polling stations.

Representing the Minister of Information, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Press Council, Dr. Dili Ezughah, said electoral integrity depended not only on voting, counting and the announcement of results but also on the quality of information available to citizens before, during and after elections.

He noted that Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, published in 2024, provided a framework for responsible, inclusive and accountable deployment of the technology.

Papers presented at the summit examined preparedness against AI-driven electoral threats, foreign information manipulation and interference, hate speech, coordinated disinformation and the exposure of different groups of voters to online manipulation.

A panel session also explored how voters, public figures and digital algorithms shape the electoral information environment.

The summit is expected to produce practical commitments and strategies to protect Nigeria’s electoral information environment ahead of the 2027 general elections.