“I’ve Handed Everything Over To God” — INEC Chairman Amupitan
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, says he has handed everything over to God as he faces the enormous task of conducting the 2027 general election.
Amupitan spoke on Wednesday at the Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Forum 2026 in Abuja, organised by Yiaga Africa with the theme “Safeguarding the 2027 General Election in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
He said his faith remains his anchor amid the pressure of the office.
“I’m being reminded of the enormity of the task on me. I’m also encouraged by the word of God, which is, ‘Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ So that has been my anchor,” he said.
“And sometimes people say, ‘You are not bothered.’ I said, I’ve handed over everything to God.”
On the role of technology in 2027, the INEC chairman assured Nigerians that artificial intelligence will not decide the outcome of the election.
“No, algorithms will not and must never decide the 2027 votes. Algorithms will not decide the vote because the choice of who leads Nigeria belongs exclusively to the Nigerian people,” Amupitan said.
He said AI will influence information voters receive, logistics and political communication, but it must remain a tool for democracy.
“Our task, therefore, at this forum and within the Commission is to ensure that AI remains a servant of democracy, not its master,” he said.
Giving specifics about the 2027 election, Amupitan disclosed that the election will involve more than 103 million registered voters across 176,846 polling units in the 36 states and the FCT. He said difficult terrain, insecurity and poor network coverage in some communities will pose significant logistical challenges.
He said the Commission has completed 10 of the 14 major activities on its election timetable under the Electoral Act 2026, and has procured and begun receiving additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices to strengthen its capacity.
He also revealed that INEC has digitised candidate nomination through the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal, which has processed more than 15,000 nominations across 22 political parties, and has introduced online voter registration with a decentralised, multi-phase PVC collection exercise nationwide.
On how AI will be used, Amupitan said predictive modelling and geospatial analysis can help deploy materials and personnel by analysing traffic patterns, weather forecasts, road conditions and security incidents to determine suitable routes, and provide early warnings of disruptions.
On integrity, he said biometric accreditation and electronic transmission of polling-unit results have addressed vulnerabilities of manual accreditation and arbitrary manipulation, while AI can help audit uploaded result sheets by identifying mathematical inconsistencies, unusual entry patterns and discrepancies in image quality.
He however stressed that human collation remains the statutory standard for declaring results, with AI only providing support in detecting anomalies.
Amupitan said INEC will continue working with civil society organisations, technology firms, regulatory bodies and security agencies to harness AI benefits while addressing threats, to ensure technology strengthens democratic institutions without compromising Nigerians’ right to freely choose their leaders.
