2027 Election: Ikezue Demands Transparency, Independent Audit of INEC’s AI Systems
By Chizoba Njaka
Labour Party candidate for Anambra Central Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, Amb. Ven. Tochukwu Sagacious Ikezue, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disclose details of its reported adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the electoral process and subject the technology to independent scrutiny.
Ikezue, in a statement issued on Thursday, expressed concern over the reported integration of AI into Nigeria’s electoral system, insisting that citizens deserved to understand the technologies and procedures that would guide the conduct of future elections.
He demanded comprehensive disclosure of all AI systems, algorithms and data processes already incorporated into the electoral cycle or being considered for future deployment. He also called for independent technical and forensic audits by reputable Nigerian and international experts.
The Labour Party candidate urged INEC to make the findings of such audits available to the public, noting that political parties, civil society organisations, the media and other electoral stakeholders needed access to relevant information to evaluate the reliability and integrity of the systems.
He warned that the reported application of AI in voter registration, result collation, transmission and verification could generate further concerns about the transparency of elections if the necessary safeguards were neither clearly defined nor adequately communicated to the public.
According to Ikezue, controversies surrounding previous elections, including allegations of result manipulation, unclear result transmission procedures and delayed or disputed outcomes, have contributed to declining public confidence in the electoral process.
He stressed that the adoption of emerging technologies should help strengthen electoral credibility and public trust rather than introduce additional uncertainties into the system.
Ikezue further called for clear legal and operational guidelines to ensure effective human oversight and transparency at every stage of AI deployment in elections. He maintained that no technological system should be capable of altering, suppressing or manufacturing election results.
The senatorial candidate also urged INEC to engage political parties, civil society groups, media organisations and members of the public in consultations before proceeding with further integration of AI into the electoral process.
“Technology must serve the people, not the other way around,” he said, arguing that election results must represent the genuine choices of voters rather than outcomes generated by systems that cannot be independently examined.
He maintained that public trust was fundamental to the credibility of the 2027 elections, calling for comprehensive measures to guarantee transparency, accountability and verifiable safeguards throughout the electoral process.
Warning against any electoral process that could undermine the will of the electorate, Ikezue declared: “Nigerians will not accept another manufactured election.”
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