The Obidient Movement has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s planned use of Artificial Intelligence in verifying election results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This is contained in a statement signed by Onyeka Dike on behalf of the Media and Communications Directorate, in Abuja,
The statement says Nigerians should not be subjected to what it described as an untested electoral experiment.
According to the statement, the movement says INEC should not introduce AI into the electoral process while its governance framework for the technology is still being finalised.
It says the proposed system raises concerns about transparency, accountability and public confidence in the electoral process.
The statement calls on INEC to abandon the proposed AI deployment until Nigerians are provided with a clear and transparent framework showing how the technology will be used.
It also demands independent verification of any AI-assisted process, saying the technology must not be allowed to determine election outcomes without clear human accountability.
It further calls for full traceability of election results from the polling unit to the final collation stage.
The statement demands the publication of Forms EC8A to EC8E on the INEC Result Viewing portal, IReV, to enable Nigerians independently verify results from polling units through the various collation levels.
According to the statement, concerns surrounding the 2023 general elections, including disputes over result transmission and the credibility of some results, make transparency particularly important ahead of 2027.
The statement also criticizes INEC’s warning against the announcement of election results from privately collated figures, saying the commission must provide timely and verifiable official results to prevent uncertainty and misinformation.
It further raises allegations concerning possible relationships between electoral officials and political actors, but provided no evidence to substantiate the claims.
The statement therefore urges INEC to prioritise transparency, accountability and public confidence, insisting that every vote must count and every declared result must be open to verification.
