There is no room for fake results announcement during next year’s election, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, said yesterday.
He urged editors of newspapers and online practitioners to fact-check any information on the polls before publication to avoid misinforming the general public.
Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), spoke on modalities for election results announcement at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) 2026 holding in Enugu, capital of Enugu State.
The theme of the conference is: ‘The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive.’
He said under the Electoral Act, the statutory authority to declare election results rests exclusively with INEC.
Amupitan added: ‘Amplifying unverified, privately collated figures published by political actors on social media creates conflicting public narratives that undermine official outcomes. In national elections, it is vastly more important to be right than to be first.’
At the conference, the guest speaker, Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja John Cardinal Onaiyekan called for the setting up of special election tribunals for resolving election disputes within clearly defined timeframe.
Also, while former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), said Nigeria should find ways of reducing courts’ involvement in electoral outcomes, Prof. Pat Utomi emphasised the importance of building democratic institutions.
Amupitan warned that synthetic disinformation poses an existential threat to public trust and democratic stability ahead of the polls, urging newsroom leaders to erect an unyielding firewall of rigorous fact-checking and digital verification against artificial intelligence-driven deepfakes.
He also warned against rushing to publish unverified election results in the name of being the first to break the news, insisting that such publications or broadcast can have negative impact on public trust.
Amupitan, who was represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, also warned against publishing election results generated by political actors and posted on the social media, saying that such results are capable distorting facts.
He said generative AI, voice cloning, and deepfake video synthesis had democratised mass deception, enabling political saboteurs to produce photorealistic videos of election officials, cloned audio files, and doctored result sheets designed to incite public outrage and delegitimise democratic outcomes.
The INEC boss stressed the need to institutionalise specialised fact-checking desks, deploy forensic image analysis software and strictly adhere to statutory protocols requiring that official election results be verified exclusively through INEC before publication.
Amupitan said: ‘Malicious operatives no longer need a printing press or broadcast license to deceive millions. With modest computing power, they can produce a photorealistic video of an electoral official purportedly declaring false results in a dark room; a cloned audio file of an INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner instructing staff to manipulate voting devices on election eve;
‘Manipulated result sheets engineered to mimic official security features, flooded onto social media minutes after polling closes to create an illusion of fraud before collation even begins.
‘The primary danger of synthetic disinformation is not merely that it tricks citizens into believing a specific falsehood, but it causes the systemic destruction of public trust. When everything can be faked, citizens begin to doubt genuine, verified facts provided by constitutional authorities.’
He added: ‘When deepfakes render lies believable, real truth is greeted with skepticism. Cynicism replaces civic engagement, leading voters to ask: Why stand in line for hours if the outcome is already manipulated on a screen? That mental retreat is where democracy begins to decay.
‘Disinformation attacks the electorate’s cognitive sovereignty, turning elections from a peaceful contest of ideas into a volatile battleground of manipulated emotions, ethnic tension, and pre-packaged outrage.
‘For an election management body, administrative success on the ground can be instantly erased on a smartphone screen by a well-timed, algorithmically boosted
Amupitan disclosed that INEC had transitioned from defensive anxiety to a proactive technological offensive by establishing a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department and deploying automated AI auditing tools within the Results Management process to detect discrepancies before final verification.
Noting that automated checks remained strictly governed by a five-pillar AI Governance Framework and subjected to mandatory human auditing, he cautioned media organisations against publishing or amplifying privately collated election results ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
He said such reports could create conflicting narratives and undermine confidence, urging editors to ensure that their platforms does not become channels for unverified election figures.
Amupitan added: ‘Let’s resist premature result declarations. Under the Electoral Act, statutory authority to declare election results rests exclusively with INEC. Amplifying unverified, privately collated figures published by political actors on social media creates conflicting public narratives that undermine official outcomes.
‘We should use our platforms to educate citizens on spotting synthetic content, fake letterheads, and algorithmically generated rage-bait.’
Apparently reacting to a statement credited to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, that the party would establish its own election viewing portal similar to the IREC, the INEC chairman warned that amplifying unverified, privately collated figures published by political actors on social media could create conflicting public narratives capable of undermining official election outcomes.
He said the media should protect the integrity of the electoral process, because artificial intelligence and social media are making it increasingly difficult to distinguish authentic information from manipulated content.
Amupitan said: ‘The pressure on modern newsrooms to be first is immense. But in national elections, it is vastly more important to be right than to be first.
‘Rushing to publish unverified, sensational claims whether a fake result sheet on social media, a doctored video, or an unconfirmed statement grants institutional legitimacy to deliberate deception, causing damage to public peace that is almost impossible to reverse.
‘I appeal to the Nigerian Guild of Editors to view media gatekeeping as a critical component of national security and democratic defense. To effectively combat AI-driven disinformation before, during, and after elections, we must build a collaborative firewall.’
Drawing attention to the economic conditions of Nigerian journalists, he said: ‘A poorly compensated journalist is vulnerable; a financially neglected newsroom is fertile ground for compromise.’
He stressed that journalists who receive decent remuneration and structured welfare are better positioned to resist financial inducement, interrogate false narratives and report elections objectively.
Amupitan said the commission has applied a similar principle to its own workforce by introducing measures aimed at improving the welfare of election officials.
He disclosed that the Commission established the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS), thereby separating its workforce from the regular Civil Service salary structure with effect from January 1, 2026.
Onaiyekan National Assembly to establish special election tribunal
Cardinal Onaiyekan urged the next National Assembly to establish a special election tribunal for resolving electoral disputes within a clearly defined timeframe.
He said the tribunal wouldrestore confidence in the electoral process and prevent the determination of election outcomes by courts instead of polling stations.
Onaiyekan, who called for an improved legal framework for election, urged the next National Assembly to make electoral reform a priority.
He said the special election tribunal should settle election cases with minimum delay, stressing that prolonged litigation and technicalities should no longer undermine electoral justice.
Onaiyekan said: ‘We need to set up a special election tribunal whose duty will be to do nothing else but to settle all election cases with minimum delay.’
Onaiyekan further proposed that, where the conduct of INEC is being challenged, the burden of proof should be placed squarely on the electoral commission, adding that the present system places an excessive burden on candidates challenging election results.
He also called for anamendment that would allow ordinary voters to challenge election results, adding that citizens whose votes were at stake should have a legal avenue to seek redress.
Onaiyekan added: ‘Our laws should make provision for the citizen as citizen and as electors to challenge results of the election at tribunals. As at now, only candidates have locus standi to challenge election results.’
He said post-election litigation should be concluded before elected officials are sworn- in, stressing that it is unfair for a candidate to assume office and thereafter use state resources to defend the legitimacy of the election that brought him to power.
Onaiyekan added: ‘More seriously, we must do all that is necessary to dispose of all tribunal cases before swearing in any candidate. There should be no room left for clever lawyers to play technical delay tactics in this matter.’
Osigwe, Utomi seek stronger institutions
Osigwe and Utomi called for stronger democratic institutions, clearer electoral laws and reforms capable of restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.