2027 Election in God’s Hands, Not Algorithms -Amupitan

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, has declared that he has entrusted the responsibility of conducting the 2027 general elections to God, while assuring Nigerians that technology will not override the will of the people.

Speaking at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, organized by Yiaga Africa, Amupitan said his faith anchors him amid the weight of his office. “I’ve handed over everything to God,” he noted, quoting scripture as his source of strength.

He emphasized that while artificial intelligence will play a role in logistics and communication, it will not decide Nigeria’s leadership. “Algorithms will not and must never decide the 2027 votes. 

The choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people,” he said.Amupitan outlined the scale of the upcoming polls: over 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units nationwide. 

He acknowledged challenges such as insecurity, poor network coverage, and difficult terrain but stressed that INEC had already completed 10 of 14 major activities on its election timetable.

Key preparations include:BVAS devices: Additional units procured to strengthen voter accreditation.Candidate Nomination Portal: Digitised system that has processed over 15,000 nominations from 22 parties.

Online voter registration: Expanded access with a decentralised PVC collection exercise.AI-driven logistics: Predictive modelling to optimize routes, anticipate disruptions, and improve deployment of materials.

On electoral integrity, Amupitan highlighted biometric accreditation and electronic transmission of results as safeguards against manipulation. 

He added that AI could assist in auditing polling-unit results by flagging inconsistencies, though human collation remains the statutory standard.

The INEC chairman reaffirmed that the commission will continue working with civil society, technology firms, regulators, and security agencies to ensure that innovations strengthen democracy without compromising Nigerians’ right to freely choose their leaders.