The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has warned that poor welfare for journalists could leave Nigerian democracy vulnerable to fake news, political inducement and AI-driven disinformation.
Speaking to more than 500 editors, publishers and media executives at the 24th All Nigeria Editors Conference, in Enugu on Thursday, Amupitan warned that media organizations could not expect strong ethical standards from journalists facing financial insecurity.
“We cannot demand unyielding ethical fortitude from a journalist whose basic economic survival is constantly threatened,” he said.
Amupitan said unpaid salaries and inadequate welfare could expose journalists to political inducement, fake news and brown-envelope pressures.
He described newsroom welfare as a national security issue, urging media owners to treat journalists’ socio-economic security as a strategic priority.
“If we truly view journalists as frontline guardians of democracy, their socio-economic security must be treated as a strategic priority, not an administrative afterthought,” he said.
Amupitan said INEC had applied a similar approach by overhauling its compensation system to strengthen institutional integrity.
He said the commission introduced the Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure, moving its staff from the regular civil service structure from January 1, 2026.
He added that INEC increased salaries for its staff, National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners, while raising overhead allocations to state offices by 150 per cent from July 1, 2026.
“If an election management body can overhaul its financial structures to protect institutional integrity, I urge the leadership of the Nigerian media industry to undertake a similar commitment,” he said.
The INEC chairman also warned that poor newsroom welfare could worsen the threat of synthetic disinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said Nigeria had entered an era of “synthetically manufactured reality”, citing deepfake videos, cloned audio of electoral officials, forged result sheets and AI-generated letters purportedly from INEC.
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“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,” he said.
Amupitan said INEC had established an Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department to tackle the threat.
He said the commission had also developed an AI Roadmap and Governance Framework based on human oversight, transparency, data protection and cybersecurity.
According to him, INEC had begun deploying AI tools in its Results Management process to detect discrepancies before final validation.
He said the reforms draw support from the Electoral Act 2026, Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and Cybercrimes Act 2024.
Amupitan added that INEC held strategic meetings with Microsoft, Google and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems at the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections in Ottawa earlier in September.
“AI must strengthen electoral integrity, improve public service, and always remain under human control,” he said.
Amupitan also outlined INEC’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
He said 94.5 per cent of polling units opened by 8:30 a.m. during the Osun off-cycle governorship election on Aug. 15, 2026, with INEC deploying 5,130 BVAS devices.
He confirmed that the presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on Jan. 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections would take place on Feb. 6, 2027.
The INEC chairman said the commission began a nationwide six-zone readiness assessment tour from Lagos on September 7.
He urged editors to establish fact-checking desks, deploy deepfake detection tools, avoid premature result declarations and prioritise accuracy over speed.
“The desk of an Editor is the final barrier between a verified fact and a nation-altering falsehood,” he said.
The Conclave
