The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has warned members of the 2027 Election Petition Tribunals against digital evidence manipulation, particularly the use of artificial intelligence to produce fake audio and video recordings.
Amupitan gave the warning on Monday in Abuja while delivering the commission’s opening remarks at a three-day workshop for Justices of the Court of Appeal and tribunal members.
He urged the judges to subject electronic evidence to proper scrutiny, noting that AI-generated deepfakes and cloned audio could mislead courts during election disputes.
“Electronic evidence must be properly verified through forensic examination and certified INEC records to confirm that it is genuine.
“Technology should neither be treated as infallible nor dismissed simply because the evidence is electronic,” he said.
The INEC chairman also urged tribunal members to avoid technicalities that could prevent substantive justice and ensure that electoral disputes were decided on credible evidence.
He said the commission had introduced the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2026, to provide clearer standards for assessing allegations of electoral malpractice and non-compliance.
Amupitan said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend not only on INEC’s performance but also on the fairness and transparency of the tribunals handling post-election disputes.
