Nigeria's 2027 Elections Face a New Threat: AI-Generated Fakes, Warns Toluwani Akinniyi

• Toluwani Akinniyi, a cybersecurity and AI governance expert, warns AI fake content could make it harder for Nigerians to trust genuine political content ahead of 2027
• AI-generated videos and images have already targeted a former Oyo State first lady and surfaced during the 2026 Ekiti governorship election
• INEC and Nigeria's data protection commission have formed a joint working group to guard the personal data of about 94 million registered voters

AI-generated fake content could weaken voter trust and complicate Nigeria's 2027 general elections, Toluwani Akinniyi, a cybersecurity and artificial intelligence governance expert, has warned.

Akinniyi said the real challenge was no longer just the spread of political misinformation. It was whether voters could tell if the images, videos and audio they encounter during the election period are genuine.

He said generative AI now made it possible to produce convincing images, clone voices and alter videos at a speed and scale that once required far more technical skill and resources.

“For Nigeria, this presents a serious concern ahead of the 2027 general elections,” Akinniyi said.

AI-Manipulated Content Is Already Reaching Nigeria's Political Space

Nigeria has already seen early signs of this shift. In January 2026, former Oyo State first lady Florence Ajimobi denied a viral video that appeared to show her making controversial comments about the 2027 governorship election.

Her office said a forensic review found the footage was AI-generated, including manipulated lip movements and a cloned voice.

During the June 2026 Ekiti governorship election, fact-checking group CDD Fact Check also identified an AI-generated image falsely presented as showing voters waiting to sell their votes.

Akinniyi said these cases do not mean the 2027 elections will be overwhelmed by AI-generated content. They do show that synthetic political material has already entered Nigeria's information environment.

Legit.ng previously reported on warnings that malicious AI networks could manipulate voters and spread AI-fabricated videos ahead of the 2027 polls.

The Bigger Danger Is Coordinated Manipulation

Akinniyi said the greater risk lies in combining synthetic content with targeted distribution, coordinated amplification and Nigeria's already contested political environment.

A fabricated video of a candidate, for example, could be paired with false headlines and AI-generated images, then pushed out through influencers and private messaging groups before it can be checked.

He also pointed to what he called the ‘liar’s dividend’, where the growing presence of synthetic media makes it easier for people to dismiss real evidence as fake.

According to Akinniyi, a politician caught on a genuine recording could claim it was AI-generated, while authentic photos or audio could just as easily be dismissed as manipulated.

“The danger, therefore, extends beyond the creation of false information. It is the possibility of gradually eroding confidence in authentic information as well,” Akinniyi said.

Voter Data Adds Another Layer of Risk

Akinniyi said AI-enabled political manipulation also raises data governance concerns, as campaigns increasingly use demographic, behavioural, location and preference data to target voters.

In April 2026, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) set up a joint working group to strengthen data protection within the electoral system.

The NDPC said INEC holds the personal data of about 94 million Nigerians, and stressed the need for responsible data handling by political parties, civil society groups, third parties and vendors.

Legit.ng also reported that INEC's chairman has flagged AI-driven disinformation as one of the most serious threats to the credibility of the 2027 elections.

Technology Can Help Fact-Checkers Too

Akinniyi said technology could also help defend the electoral process, not just threaten it.

Ahead of the 2023 election, AI-supported tools from Full Fact helped fact-checking organisations review claims at a far larger scale. Poynter reported that the tools raised the number of claims reviewed from about 100 a day to as many as 100,000.

He said similar tools would matter even more by 2027, since fact-checkers cannot manually monitor every platform, video, audio clip and messaging group during an election. Human verification will still be essential, particularly given Nigeria's linguistic and cultural diversity.

A Coordinated Response Is Needed Before 2027

Akinniyi called for a broader election information integrity framework involving INEC, the NDPC, political parties, technology platforms, media organisations, fact-checkers and relevant security agencies.

He said political parties should set clear rules on AI-generated political content and impersonation, while INEC should strengthen how it identifies and corrects false information that impersonates the commission.

He also urged the NDPC to extend its oversight into political campaigning, particularly voter profiling, third-party data and targeted political advertising.

Technology platforms should build effective local response systems for election-related synthetic media, Akinniyi said, while media organisations should tighten their procedures for verifying digital content before publication.

Voters have a role too, he added, by questioning the source of political content, seeking independent confirmation and verifying claims before sharing them.

Nigeria Has Faced Manipulated Political Content Before

Political misinformation is not new to Nigerian elections. During the 2015 presidential election, Cambridge Analytica was reported to have run a campaign supporting then President Goodluck Jonathan, with later investigations documenting divisive material aimed at shaping perceptions of Muhammadu Buhari.

By the 2023 elections, social media had accelerated the spread of political misinformation further, with false results, coordinated accounts and manipulated content used to create misleading impressions of political support.

Akinniyi cited a doctored video of Hollywood actors Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey that appeared to show them endorsing Peter Obi. AFP Fact Check traced the footage to genuine WIRED interviews that had been edited to insert a political message.

He noted that the clip was not an AI-generated fake video, but it showed that political manipulation of digital content existed before generative AI became widely accessible. What has changed, he said, is the technology now available to carry it out.

Nigeria Still Has Time to Prepare

Akinniyi said Nigeria still has time to prepare for the risks AI-generated political content poses before the 2027 election reaches its most intense stage.

“Protecting an election is no longer only about securing the ballot box, voting technology or transmission system. It also requires protecting the information environment in which voters make decisions,” Akinniyi said.