Nigeria has never had a straightforward relationship with information during elections. Every cycle comes with a flood of propaganda, doctored images, fabricated WhatsApp broadcasts, and coordinated campaigns designed to shape what people think and feel. As the country moves toward the 2027 general elections, something new is on the table. The tools available to those who push disinformation have become dramatically more powerful and accessible. Artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI, has advanced significantly compared to 2023, and it will shape part of the 2027 election, and the events leading up to it.
The Centre for Democracy and Development’s tracking of the 2023 elections showed how disinformation—false information spread deliberately to deceive — exploited ethnic and religious fault lines, suppressing votes and inciting hostility. Misinformation, too, played a role: inaccurate claims circulated widely even without any intent to deceive, amplified by ordinary users who believed what they shared. False narratives about candidates’ health, fabricated policy positions, and rumour campaigns spread across social media with terrifying speed. These were all achieved without sophisticated AI.
Nigeria has one of Africa’s largest social media populations, with millions relying on platforms like Facebook, X, TikTok, and WhatsApp as their primary source of political news. According to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 79% of Nigerians get their news from social media. This ecosystem was already a problem due to virality being prioritised over verification. With AI in the picture, the cycle of disinformation will be unprecedented.
The most discussed threat is deepfake technology. Already, AI-generated pictures, videos, and audios depicting public figures have circulated in Nigeria. These have mostly been obvious parodies so far, but the technology is advancing fast, and can be used for all sorts of things. Tools like Google’s Veo 3 and open-source video generation models are now accessible to anyone with a laptop and a decent internet connection. The cost of manufacturing a convincing lie has collapsed to near zero. On July 10, 2025, the X account, Waspapping, posted an image that showed Peter Obi and General Sani Abacha having tea together, while a follow up video from another account, THETROJANBEAST, turned the photo into a video.
On May 27 2026, a manipulated video went viral after social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan or VDM, posted it. It featured an AI-generated voice mimicking President Bola Tinubu making inflammatory statements claiming insecurity in the South-East was deliberate, that he had pressured Peter Obi of the Labour Party to withdraw from the 2023 elections, and that he was indifferent to Nigerians’ hardship. One fabricated quote claimed: “I’ve begged Peter Obi to step down for me. He refused. Now I will make sure the insecurity affects only the South East.”
The audio spread rapidly, with many initially believing it to be a genuine leaked recording. Presidential Adviser Bayo Onanuga initially called for VDM’s arrest, accusing him of spreading fake content. However, fact-checks later confirmed VDM had not created the audio, an unknown person had taken footage from his original Instagram video and overlaid the fake voice before recirculating it.
On June 4, 2026, police arrested Ifechukwu Dennis in Benin City, Edo State. He was identified as the originator of the fake audio. The arrest was carried out by a crack team from the Inspector-General of Police’s office. Onanuga announced it via X, stating that Dennis had passed the fabricated voice off to unsuspecting targets as a real recording of the President.
To some, these deepfakes and AI generated photos might be easily detectable, but Nigeria also has a digital literacy rate of below 70%. Many people are susceptible to misleading content that leaves them misinformed. Deepfakes are only one part of the bigger picture. Generative AI can produce thousands of social media posts, articles, and comments within minutes. Coordinated networks of AI-generated accounts can dominate online conversations, making unpopular opinions appear mainstream. In a country where political moods are heavily shaped by what is trending, this is a serious vulnerability.
AI also increases the threat of political micro-profiling. The Nigeria Data Protection Commission has already warned about the misuse of personal data ahead of 2027. Data harvested from social media, telecoms, and financial platforms can be fed into AI systems that identify which voter, in which part of the country, is susceptible to which message, and then flood them with content designed to suppress turnout, shift allegiance, or deepen fear. What once required a large network of political operatives can now be executed by a small, technically skilled team with adequate funding.
As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated, people may start doubting the authenticity of information. Politicians caught in real wrongdoing gain a new and convenient defence: “That video is AI-generated.” Recall that this exact scenario happened when Senator Adams Oshiomole was spotted in a video giving a massage to a South African model on a jet. Authentic recordings, real documents, and genuine evidence get questioned because the public knows convincing fakes exist. In Nigeria’s already distrustful political climate, where faith in INEC, the judiciary, and the press is historically low, this muddying of the waters could make accountability nearly impossible.
The risks do not stop at electoral outcomes. Nigeria has seen disinformation contribute to ethnic tensions, religious divisions, and political violence in previous cycles. A fabricated speech targeting a particular community, or a fake audio recording attributed to a political leader could provoke violence before anyone has a chance to respond.
None of this is inevitable, but addressing it requires honest action from every stakeholder, and it needs to start well before 2027.
The AI disinformation threat is an information warfare problem that requires a different kind of response. A dedicated rapid-response unit with real-time monitoring capabilities and direct coordination with social media platforms is urgently needed. Formal partnerships with fact-checking organisations like Africa Check and Dubawa should be locked in before the campaign season begins.
Social media platforms also have to do better. Meta, TikTok, and X must be held to their own media policies in Nigeria’s specific context. The 2023 experience, where disinformation spread largely unchecked, cannot repeat itself. Civil society groups should push for binding platform accountability commitments tied to the Nigerian electoral calendar.
At the community level, digital literacy campaigns need to be scaled up and delivered in local languages. People need practical skills, not just general awareness. How to reverse search a suspicious photo. How to spot a deepfake video. How to pause before forwarding something that feels outrageous. Religious institutions, community radio, and market associations are underused channels for this kind of civic education and should be brought into the conversation.
Journalists and newsrooms must also adapt. Deepfake detection tools exist, but using them requires training and investment. Speed can no longer come at the expense of accuracy. A well-resourced, independent fact-checking coalition operating specifically in the lead-up to 2027 could be the difference between a viral lie dying quickly and one that leads to something worse.
AI is not inherently the enemy of Nigerian democracy. Deployed responsibly, it can help journalists analyse large datasets, identify coordinated disinformation campaigns, and verify information at scale. Electoral bodies can use it to monitor harmful content and spot emerging threats. Civil society can use AI-powered tools to educate voters in real time. The technology has genuine potential on the side of truth.
The 2027 elections will not only be fought at polling units. They will be fought in WhatsApp groups, in TikTok comment sections, and in the algorithmic feeds of tens of millions of Nigerians who are just trying to figure out who to believe. With AI, this will become much more complicated than it has been in the past, and we need to prepare for that.
