EU warns AI could manipulate Nigeria’s elections
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Leadership
The European Union warns that fake announcements, manipulated videos and fabricated election results could undermine Nigeria’s 2027 general elections without altering a single ballot. EU ambassador Gautier Mignot called for stronger information integrity at a summit in Abuja, according to Leadership.
The European Union warned on Monday 2 November that artificial intelligence-generated disinformation could disrupt Nigeria’s 2027 general elections without any ballot being physically altered. The EU ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, Gautier Mignot, cited fake announcements, manipulated videos, cloned voices and fabricated results at the opening of a summit on electoral information integrity in Abuja.
Gautier Mignot reaffirmed the EU’s support for initiatives aimed at strengthening information integrity, media resilience and responsible digital use. The summit was organised by the International Press Centre and the Centre for Media and Society, with the support of the European programme for democratic governance in Nigeria and the company DAI.
The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash O. Amupitan, said electoral threats now extended beyond physical interference at polling stations. He called for coordinated response mechanisms, institutional verification channels and procedures for reporting suspicious content, while urging that the fight against disinformation not be used to restrict freedom of expression.
INEC is strengthening its technological and communications capacity to detect manipulated content, verify suspicious information and quickly publish corrections. The warning follows the introduction of AI-generated photos into Nigeria’s electoral register, revealed on 30 October 2026.
