2027: Group raises ethical considerations for INEC regarding the use of AI

Ahead of the 2027 general election, a youth-led organisation, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), has raised concerns over the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Nigeria’s electoral processes.

The organisation also called for safeguards to protect women in politics from digital threats and ensure transparency in the use of Al during elections.

Its founder, Abideen Olasupo, made the call on Thursday while presenting findings from the organisation’s Pre-Election Digital Threat Assessment in Lagos.

The event, themed “From Silence to Safeguard: Faith, Tradition and Women’s Place in Nigeria’s Democracy,” is in partnership with FactCheck Africa.

Findings

These guidelines focus on safeguarding the integrity of elections, protecting vulnerable participants, particularly women in politics, from digital threats, and ensuring transparency and fairness as outlined in the pre-election digital threat assessments.

Mr Olasupo’s presentation examined the 2023 general elections, noting that while women made up 47.5 per cent of registered voters, they hold less than five per cent of seats in the National Assembly, State Assembly, and executive positions.

He said despite active participation at the polls, women face significant barriers to holding political leadership.

His presentation highlighted several key policy briefs, including the importance of indigenous languages in policy engagement and a digital safety toolkit designed for the 2027 election cycle to protect women in politics.

“The critical part of the policy brief that also came out of the conversation is the issue of indigenous languages because the majority of the time we say we do policy, we do advocacy, but the pepper sellers in the markets are not carried around,” Mr Olasupo said.

“They are not even factored into the conversation and engagement. And you know, as a civil society organisation, I think we should move beyond just saying inclusion in business in proposals.”

Technological threats

Mr Olasupo said technology is being weaponised against female candidates, adding that generative Al tools like Grok are used for technology-facilitated gender-based violence and deepfakes.

He said there is a significant concern that political teams are now employing specialised units to use Al for misinformation, disinformation, and manipulating visual content to discredit women.

He said this creates a massive disadvantage for female candidates who may lack the budget to hire influencers or subscribe to advanced digital tools to counter these attacks.

Panel session

In one of the three panel sessions held, faith leaders spoke on religion, tradition and women in public life.

Amudat Olanipekun, the leader of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) Lagos chapter addressed misconceptions regarding women’s role in Islam.

Ms Olanipekun clarified that while men may hold certain leadership positions, women are entitled to participate fully in politics and decision-making because good governance requires male and female participation.

She clarified that practices like wearing a niqab do not deprive women of civic rights or the ability to vote and run for office.

She noted that empowering women is essential for nation-building, stating that training a woman effectively trains a nation.

On religious ethics and accountability, Richard Oyeyemi, a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) argued that Christian doctrines prohibit online bullying and misinformation, noting that actions taken in digital spaces carry the same spiritual weight as physical ones.

Mr Oyeyemi emphasised that true service to God requires prioritising human dignity and mental well-being, suggesting that a Christian’s online conduct must reflect their offline values.

He noted that modern churches now ultilise professions like lawyers, counselors and doctors to handle complex social problems properly beyond spiritual advice.

He urged pastors to get trained in digital literacy to better address online harassment affecting their members.

Women in Nigeria’s political space

Women’s representation in Nigeria’s public offices ranks low. Of the 360 members in the House of Representatives, only 17 are women, while in the Senate, there are just four women out of 109 members.

Efforts to increase women’s participation in elective offices have continued over the years, but progress has remained limited.

Ahead of successive election cycles, political parties, civil society groups and lawmakers have proposed reforms aimed at improving women’s representation. However, many of these initiatives have faced legislative hurdles or failed to secure the political support needed for implementation.