Akingbolu Reveals Stakeholders to Launch Immediate Action Against AI-Enabled Electoral Disinformation Ahead of 2027 Elections

Akingbolu Reveals Stakeholders to Launch Immediate Action Against AI-Enabled Electoral Disinformation Ahead of 2027 Elections

By Raphael Ekpang

The Executive Director of The Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) Dr. Akin Akingbolu, one of the organisers of a two-day conference on safeguarding electoral information integrity in the age of artificial intelligence has assured Nigerians that concrete measures are being put in place to tackle artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled disinformation and other emerging threats capable of undermining the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

Akingbolu said addressing the growing threats posed by AI during elections required a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach, stressing that no single institution could effectively tackle the challenge independently.

He disclosed that CEMESO, the Centre for Information and Media Research and Analysis (CIMERA), the International Press Centre (IPC) and the European Union (EU) would collaborate with other relevant stakeholders to establish effective response mechanisms ahead of the elections.

According to him, participants at the conference developed a Statement of Commitment outlining specific actions and responsibilities expected of various stakeholder institutions as the country prepares for the 2027 polls.

He added that the participating organisations would also work with SIGNAJI to ensure that the various institutions fulfilled their respective commitments.

“Our primary responsibility will be to coordinate this multi-stakeholder effort to ensure that AI-enabled disinformation in the electoral process is addressed in a decisive and comprehensive manner,” he said.

Addressing concerns about possible delays arising from government bureaucracy, Akingbolu assured that the implementation of the agreed action plans would not be hampered by conventional bureaucratic processes.

“We are not working within the context of the bureaucracy of the government. We are non-governmental among the stakeholder institutions. Even the ones we call government institutions have no option. They have to move at the pace that we have defined here at this conference,” he stated.

He further disclosed that implementation activities would commence in the coming days, with government institutions expected to participate in the planned engagements.

Assessing the outcome of the conference, the CEMESO Executive Director expressed satisfaction with the level of participation, quality of presentations and contributions from stakeholders.

He described the turnout as impressive, noting that participants demonstrated active engagement throughout the two-day deliberations.

Akingbolu emphasised that the conference was not merely a talk shop, explaining that participants’ observations, findings, recommendations and proposed solutions had been documented in various outcome documents to guide implementation.

“We didn’t turn it into just an ordinary talk shop where people just come, talk and go. We harvested all our thoughts, all the diagnoses, all the recommendations and put them in various output documents for implementation, and implementation begins immediately,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the commitments reached would translate into practical interventions to protect electoral information integrity, strengthen public confidence in the electoral process and prevent manipulation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Akingbolu reaffirmed the stakeholders’ commitment to working towards the successful delivery of free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria in 2027.