By: Nnenna Mba, Abakaliki
Communication scholars, legal experts and academics have called for stronger legal safeguards, ethical deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and responsible communication to protect the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. The call was made during the Eminent Personalities Workshop organised by the Ebonyi State chapter of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ASCPN) at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), themed, “Communication, Artificial Intelligence and Credible Elections in Nigeria.”
Delivering the keynote lecture, the Vice-Chancellor of Ebonyi State University of ICT, Science and Technology, Oferekpe, Prof. Ernest Ituma Egba, described AI as a transformative technology capable of improving voter education, election logistics, biometric verification, electoral data analysis and transparency in election management. He, however, warned that the technology could also be weaponised to spread misinformation, deepfakes, AI-generated fake news, voice cloning and manipulated images capable of eroding public confidence in elections. “Technology without integrity merely digitizes existing problems, while technology without transparency simply automates distrust,” he said.
Prof. Egba urged communication scholars, journalists, policymakers, electoral bodies, technology experts and civil society organisations to collaborate in promoting media literacy, fact-checking and the ethical use of AI. He also challenged universities to establish Artificial Intelligence Research Centres, Digital Communication Laboratories, Election Technology Research Groups and Fact-Checking Units to develop home-grown solutions to Nigeria’s democratic challenges.
Declaring the workshop open, the Vice-Chancellor of AE-FUNAI, Prof. Daniel Nwachukwu, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Celestine Affiukwa, described the event as timely ahead of the 2027 elections. He said rebuilding public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process would require responsible communication and informed public engagement, while encouraging students to embrace hard work and learn from accomplished professionals instead of seeking shortcuts to success.
Presenting the lead paper titled “Combating AI-Generated Misinformation for Credible Elections in Nigeria,” Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Uchenna Njoku, warned that AI-generated misinformation poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy. Citing examples from Slovakia’s 2023 election, the 2024 United States presidential primary in New Hampshire and India’s 2024 elections, he said fake AI-generated speeches, videos, images and voice recordings could mislead voters, incite violence and influence election outcomes if left unchecked.
Njoku urged Nigerians, especially young people, to verify information before sharing it and resist being recruited to create or circulate false political content. He called for comprehensive legislation regulating AI and amendments to the Electoral Act to criminalise AI-generated electoral offences, while noting that the Nigeria Data Protection Act and the Cybercrimes Act already provide sanctions for some digital offences.
In his goodwill message, the National President of ASCPN, Prof. Rotimi Olatunji, said the workshop was part of the association’s efforts to deepen conversations on AI, governance and democracy. He stressed that although AI presents enormous opportunities for development, stronger institutional safeguards and human responsibility remain essential to preserving credible elections. Earlier, Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Amaechi Nwali, described the workshop’s theme as timely and urged scholars to produce evidence-based research capable of strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process.
The National Vice-President of ASCPN for the South-East and South-South, Prof. Ifeyinwa Nsude, and the Ebonyi State Coordinator of the association, Associate Prof. Joseph Chukwu, encouraged communication scholars and students to take advantage of the association’s programmes to improve their professional knowledge. The event also featured awards of excellence to distinguished individuals, while Uchenna Njoku (SAN) awarded academic scholarships of ₦100,000 each to 10 outstanding students of AE-FUNAI and Ebonyi State University.(News Point 247)
