The Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has urged West African electoral bodies to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) responsibly while strengthening cybersecurity systems to protect elections and public trust.
Amupitan made the call on Tuesday in Abuja when he received a delegation from the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), led by Mr. Serigne Ka, Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division.
The visit followed the validation and adoption of ECONEC guidelines on the use of AI in electoral processes across the West African region.
Speaking about the growing presence of AI in everyday life, the INEC Chairman said electoral bodies could no longer afford to ignore the technology.
“Even if you don’t want to use it, every system you have, even your phone, already has AI in it,” Amupitan said.
For him, the conversation is not simply about adopting new technology, but about ensuring that it is used safely and in ways that protect citizens. He said strong cybersecurity measures would be essential to prevent abuse and preserve confidence in elections.
“When we say we want to use AI, it means that you want to have features or cyber skills that will prevent your own phone system from being used against you,” he said.
Amupitan pointed to voter registration, public information services and quicker responses to citizens’ enquiries as areas where AI could make electoral processes more accessible and efficient.
He also called for closer cooperation among electoral commissions, particularly in electronic transmission of results, training, logistics and election planning.
ECONEC official Serigne Ka said the guidelines were adopted after experts developed a framework to help electoral bodies navigate the opportunities and risks associated with AI.
“AI is here to stay anyway. There’s no way we can do away with AI anymore,” Ka said.