Nigerians Anxious About 2027 Election, INEC Has Not Explained 2023 Glitch – Umeh

The Senator representing Anambra Central in the National Assembly, Victor Umeh, has cautioned against the reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the 2027 elections.

According to him, Nigerians are very anxious about the 2027 polls, and AI can be easily manipulated.

He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has yet to adequately explain the glitch reported during the 2023 elections, and deploying AI for the 2027 elections might bring more issues that need explanation.

“The 2023 election outcome is still giving me anxiety. It is giving everybody anxiety, not just me,” Umeh said while speaking during Friday’s edition of Politics Today on Channels Television.

The Senator said he had heard INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan talk about using Artificial Intelligence to conduct elections, but he expressed concerns about such moves.

“I have seen the INEC chairman in Canada talking about using Artificial Intelligence to conduct elections. That is even the most anxious one,” he said.

Naija News reports that Umeh warned that the increasing sophistication of AI could create new avenues for manipulation, particularly through the production of highly convincing fabricated content, and urged caution against using AI for the 2027 polls.

“When you use Artificial Intelligence to take the head of a man and plant it on the body of a woman and it will be seamless. That is the risk in Artificial Intelligence.

“Don’t put any confidence in the deployment of Artificial Intelligence in this process,” Umeh said.

The lawmaker, however, submitted that his major concern remains the unexplained issues regarding the glitch reported during the collation of results for the 2023 presidential election, stressing that it raises concerns about INEC’s preparedness for the 2027 elections.

“In 2023, what messed up the election was the announced glitch in the collation of the presidential election.

“Till today, INEC has not told us what was responsible for the glitch and Nigeria has gone past it and we are moving to another one,” Umeh said.

Umeh said the lack of clarity over what caused the 2023 glitch was contributing to uncertainty ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We don’t know what will come up in 2027 and we pray nothing like that happens again,” he said.