By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the training of its Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) on strategies for countering misinformation and disinformation, particularly content generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Commission warned that the misuse of generative artificial intelligence to produce fabricated audio, video and images, as well as targeted messages capable of creating conflicting narratives among voters, had become an immediate concern for the electoral process.
National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, gave the warning on Monday in Abuja while declaring open a capacity-building workshop for Public Affairs Officers drawn from across the country, according to reports published in the INEC bulletin on Monday.
Haruna said the threat posed by generative AI to electoral communication was no longer a distant or theoretical risk, noting that advances in the technology had made it cheaper and more difficult to detect manipulated content.
According to him, the challenge goes beyond the production of fake materials, as AI can also be deployed to deliver highly targeted messages designed to expose different groups of voters to conflicting narratives.
He said the development had made accurate and timely communication an increasingly important component of electoral credibility.
Haruna recalled that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had recently observed at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria that the credibility of elections no longer depended solely on ballot papers, BVAS machines and result sheets.
He quoted Amupitan as saying that electoral credibility also depended on the information environment within which voters formed their judgments.
The INEC chairman, Haruna added, had consequently called for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated as interconnected areas rather than separate concerns.
The workshop, themed “Strengthening PAOs Capacity for Credible, Verified and Responsible Election Communication Towards 2027,” is designed to equip INEC’s communication officers with skills to identify, verify and respond to misleading information.
Haruna described Public Affairs Officers as the frontline communicators of INEC at the state level, stressing that the credibility of the Commission’s public communication depended significantly on their work.
He said the participants would receive practical training in information verification, escalation procedures and clear and consistent messaging, adding that the skills would be critical as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify.
The National Commissioner commended the Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) Department for developing what he described as a practical and skills-based programme that responds to the communication challenges confronting INEC at the state level.
In her welcome remarks, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said Public Affairs Officers played a crucial role in shaping Nigerians’ perception of the Commission and the reliability of its information.
She noted that INEC operated under constant public scrutiny and was frequently confronted with attempts to misrepresent its activities and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
Eta-Messi said the workshop was not intended to be a one-off intervention, disclosing that additional capacity-building programmes were at advanced stages of planning with the support of development partners.
She described the current training as the beginning of sustained engagement aimed at ensuring that Public Affairs Officers were adequately prepared for their responsibilities.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Information and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, said the workshop was designed to strengthen the practical communication skills required by PAOs in their day-to-day duties and in preparation for the 2027 elections.
He said the training would clarify communication and escalation channels among Public Affairs Officers, Heads of Department, the Voter Education and Publicity Department and Resident Electoral Commissioners.
Other areas of focus, according to Ifogah, include improving consistency in the preparation of press statements, talking points and social media content, as well as strengthening the officers’ ability to monitor the information environment and respond appropriately to misinformation and disinformation.
The training will also introduce participants to the responsible use of artificial intelligence in communication work, including its practical applications, limitations and safeguards relating to confidentiality and verification.
Ifogah said the participants were expected to leave the workshop with a common understanding of the standards of accuracy, consistency and professionalism required of INEC Public Affairs Officers, as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections.
