The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has cautioned members of the 2027 Election Petition Tribunals against the growing threat of digital evidence manipulation, particularly the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create 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 members of the election petition tribunals.
He urged the judicial officers to exercise caution when evaluating electronic evidence in election-related disputes, warning that AI-generated deepfakes and cloned voices could be deployed to mislead courts and undermine the credibility of electoral proceedings. 
The INEC chairman stressed that electronic evidence must be subjected to appropriate verification, including forensic examination and cross-checking against certified records from the commission, to establish its authenticity.
“Technology should neither be treated as infallible nor dismissed simply because the evidence is electronic,” he said.
He emphasised the need for judges to strike a balance between embracing technological advancements and ensuring that digital materials presented before them meet the required standards of credibility and authenticity.
Amupitan also advised tribunal members against allowing procedural technicalities to obstruct the course of justice, urging them to focus on the substance of electoral disputes and determine cases based on credible and verifiable evidence.
He further disclosed that INEC had introduced the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2026, to establish clearer standards for evaluating allegations of electoral malpractice, irregularities and non-compliance with electoral provisions.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over the increasing use of artificial intelligence to manipulate digital content, raising fresh questions about the reliability of electronic evidence in Nigeria’s electoral dispute resolution process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
