INEC Chairman: AI Must Strengthen, Not Replace Electoral Institutions
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has said Artificial Intelligence, (AI) must strengthen electoral institutions rather than replace human responsibility in election management.
Amupitan stated this on Thursday, September 10, 2026, while addressing the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections in Ottawa, Canada, where he presented Nigeria’s experience in the responsible use of technology in electoral administration. He said the success of AI in elections would depend not only on the sophistication of the technology, but also on strong institutions, effective governance and safeguards guiding its deployment.
The INEC Chairman noted that the Commission had progressively adopted technologies such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, (BVAS), the INEC Result Viewing Portal, (IReV), and the Automated Biometrics Identification System, (ABIS), to improve electoral credibility and reduce human error.
He, however, cautioned against adopting AI simply for technological advancement, stressing that its use must produce measurable improvements in electoral administration and public confidence.
“AI must strengthen electoral integrity, improve public service, and always remain under human control,” the Chairman stated.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC had begun institutional preparations for responsible AI adoption, including the establishment of a dedicated AI Division within its ICT Department, development of an AI Roadmap and an AI Governance Framework, as well as staff training and multidisciplinary collaboration.
“Responsible AI begins with institutional readiness — not technology,” he said.
He further disclosed that INEC had introduced an intelligent Results Management process to identify discrepancies in election result records.
According to him, the system digitises polling unit result forms, extracts information from scanned Forms EC8A and compares the figures with data entered on BVAS, automatically flagging inconsistencies for review by election officials. He stressed that the system does not alter election results but assists officials in identifying issues requiring human attention.
The INEC Chairman said the Commission’s approach to AI is guided by human oversight, transparency and accountability, data protection and privacy, cybersecurity and risk management, as well as operational value and public trust. He said the Commission would deploy AI only where it demonstrably improves electoral administration and remains consistent with legal and ethical standards.
Concluding his presentation, Professor Amupitan said the ultimate purpose of AI in electoral administration should be to strengthen democratic institutions.
“Responsible AI is not defined by the sophistication of the technology, but by the strength of the institutions that govern it,” he concluded.
