NITDA warns of AI manipulation ahead of 2027 elections
NITDA has warned that AI-powered misinformation and deepfakes could be used to manipulate Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections. Read More:…
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is the federal body charged with regulating Nigeria's IT sector and shaping the country's digital policy, including its emerging approach to artificial intelligence governance. Concerns about AI's role in elections have grown globally as generative tools make it cheaper and easier to produce convincing fake audio, images and video, raising fears that such content could be used to spread disinformation, impersonate candidates or sway public opinion before votes are cast.
The two reports point to slightly different sources for the warning — Punch attributes it directly to NITDA, while Tribune Online ties it to an EU-backed democratic governance programme — suggesting the alert may have emerged from a joint or related forum involving both the agency and international partners. Neither account yet details specific safeguards, regulations or enforcement mechanisms Nigeria plans to adopt before the 2027 elections, leaving open questions about how authorities intend to detect and counter AI-driven manipulation in practice.