66.5% of Nigerians Fear AI Misinformation Could Undermine 2027 Elections - SBM Report
SBM Intelligence released a report on Wednesday showing that 66.5% of Nigerians are extremely or very concerned that AI‑generated misinformation could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections. The study warns that Nigeria’s heavy reliance on social media for news—WhatsApp being the main source for 52.1% of citizens—combined with weak content moderation and an outdated legal framework leaves the electoral information environment open to AI‑driven disinformation. It highlights a ‘Southeast paradox’: the Southeast zone has the highest social media reliance (82.5%) and the lowest verification rate (42.7%), yet its combined concern about AI interference is only 38.9%. Perceptions of foreign influence point to the United States (35.7%), China (11%), the United Kingdom (7.5%) and the colloquial term ‘Dollar’ (11.9%). INEC has set the presidential and National Assembly polls for Saturday, January 16, 2027, with campaign periods starting August 19, 2026 for federal races and September 9, 2026 for state elections, and has requested N873.78 billion to run the 2027 polls plus N171 billion for 2026 operations. The report urges regulators, tech firms, political actors and civil society to strengthen safeguards and boost media literacy before the polls. With AI tools becoming more accessible, what steps will you take to verify political content you see online, and what safeguards do you think INEC and platforms should put in place to protect the 2027 election?