As Nigeria moves steadily toward the 2027 general election, a new threat looms over its fragile democratic institutions: the rise of AI-generated fake media.
From deepfake videos to synthetic audio clips that sound indistinguishably real, these digital forgeries are eroding public trust, distorting reality, and threatening to destabilize the core of democratic discourse. What once appeared as harmless tech novelty has now evolved into a potent weapon of disinformation.
With the increasing availability of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and text-to-video systems such as Veo 3—false narratives can now be crafted and spread with remarkable ease and realism. These AI systems are trained to mimic human speech, mannerisms, and appearance so convincingly that the average viewer struggles to tell truth from fiction.
In countries with weaker information systems like Nigeria, the dangers are even more profound. Many citizens lack the digital literacy needed to distinguish between authentic and manipulated content. Encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, which 95% of Nigerian internet users rely on, further amplify the problem. During the 2023 elections, fact-checking platforms reported a sharp increase in the spread of false and misleading political content, often targeting reputations and stoking divisions.
Pew Research reports that more than two-thirds of tech experts predict deepfakes will be a dominant source of misinformation in upcoming elections globally. In Nigeria, this warning rings especially true.
“Fake audio and video are no longer futuristic problems,” said one media expert.
“They are today’s crisis—shaping narratives, undermining trust, and confusing the public on crucial issues.”
The UNESCO-backed solution? Media and information literacy. Equipping citizens with the skills to critically analyze digital content is now essential. Civil society groups and news organizations must also be armed with real-time deepfake detection tools like Microsoft’s Video Authenticator and Reality Defender to curb the spread of manipulated media before it causes irreparable damage.
This is no longer just a technical challenge—it’s a democratic one. When citizens can no longer trust what they see or hear, the ability to hold power accountable is weakened. The rise of deepfakes threatens to blur the line between truth and propaganda, leaving societies vulnerable to both domestic extremism and foreign interference.
Nigeria’s 2027 general election won’t just be a test of political will, it will be a test of digital resilience. It’s no longer enough to simply count votes; we must also protect the truth.
Trust, like democracy, takes years to build but only seconds to destroy. The time to act is now.
However, only through a whole-of-society approach combining governance, technology, education, and civil awareness can help Nigeria defend its democratic future against the silent, digital siege of fake media.
