The Obidient Movement has rejected plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the management and verification of results for the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued Wednesday and signed by its Media and Communications Director, Onyeka Dike, the movement described the proposed use of AI at a critical stage of the electoral process as “reckless and unacceptable.”
It argued that INEC should not introduce the technology when, according to the movement, the framework for regulating its use was still being finalised.
“INEC cannot tell Nigerians that it intends to introduce AI into one of the most sensitive stages of the electoral process while simultaneously admitting that the rules governing its use are still being developed,” the statement said.
NEWSNGR reports that the group urged the electoral commission to focus instead on rebuilding public confidence in the electoral process, particularly after the controversies surrounding the 2023 elections.
It demanded a results management system that is transparent, auditable and verifiable, with every result traceable from the polling unit through the various stages of collation to the final declaration.
The movement also expressed concerns about the warning issued by INEC Chairman Prof Joash Amupitan against announcing or declaring election results not officially issued by the commission.
While acknowledging INEC’s statutory responsibility to declare official results, the group said the warning, when considered alongside the planned AI deployment and what it described as an unfinished governance framework, raised questions about the commission’s approach to the 2027 elections.
The movement further alleged rumours that Amupitan was in France with President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and other political actors to perfect strategies for the 2027 elections.
The group also accused INEC of failing to adequately resolve concerns linked to the 2023 elections, particularly those surrounding the electronic transmission and publication of results on the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV.
According to the movement, the difficulties encountered during the 2023 elections were not primarily the result of a lack of technology but what it described as failures in the electoral process.
It consequently called on INEC to immediately abandon plans to use AI in election results collation.
The group also demanded that the commission publish a clear framework, subject to independent audit, for every technology it intends to deploy during the elections.
It said election results must remain traceable to individual polling units and be independently verifiable by political parties, observers, journalists and citizens.
The movement further urged INEC to adopt what it described as Mundus Analytics’ five commitments, including the publication of Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D and EC8E on IReV.
It also called on the INEC chairman to “retrace his steps” and ensure that election outcomes are determined by voters rather than the preferences of political actors or electoral officials.
“In 2027, Nigerians will not surrender their votes to technology, bureaucracy or manipulation. Every vote must count, every result must be verifiable, and the true choice of the Nigerian people must prevail,” the statement said.
