The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Meta, and Rise Networks have joined forces with different expertise and civil society companions to launch the #AI4Elections Hackathon, a nationwide initiative geared toward harnessing synthetic intelligence to strengthen electoral integrity and democratic participation.
The initiative seeks to carry collectively Nigerian builders, researchers, college students, expertise entrepreneurs, electoral specialists, and civic innovators to design and develop sensible, AI-powered options to rising electoral challenges.
These embody misinformation, cybersecurity threats, electoral knowledge evaluation, inclusive civic engagement, and citizen accountability.
Building on the expertise of Run-Am, an AI-powered misinformation detection and fact-checking cell software developed for Nigeria’s 2023 elections, Rise Networks is spearheading the programme in collaboration with INEC, Meta, Google, Microsoft, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), and different institutional companions.
The hackathon, based on Dr Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji of Rise Network, will give attention to 5 key areas, together with reliable electoral data, data-driven decision-making, inclusive and multilingual civic expertise, electoral cybersecurity, and election commentary.
Participants are anticipated to develop purposeful technological options that may contribute to credible, clear, inclusive, and people-centred electoral processes.
She mentioned with a complete money prize pool of N10 million, alongside cloud credit, laptops, and different expertise instruments, the competitors is open to eligible Nigerians aged 18 and above, taking part individually or in groups of as much as 4 members.
Applications opened on Thursday October 22, 2026, and shut on November 12, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. West African Time. The programme will culminate in a nationwide innovation showcase in Lagos on December 16, 2026, adopted by technical help for promising options.
Organisers emphasised that the initiative is nonpartisan and prioritises accountable AI, knowledge privateness, human oversight, and compliance with electoral legal guidelines.
Interested candidates can go to ai4elections.risenetworks.org for particulars and software pointers.
Atiku Demands Immediate Display of Preliminary Voters Register By INEC
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded the rapid publication of preliminary voters’ register, warning that its absence from INEC’s on-line show through the introduced October 9 to fifteen scrutiny interval raised grave questions in regards to the integrity of the 2027 election.
In an announcement by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku mentioned, “INEC has introduced greater than 103 million registered voters. Nigerians went to its portal to examine their names and located an empty web page.
“That is an outrage. A determine can’t reply an objection. A press announcement can’t inform a voter whether or not his/her title has been omitted. Show Nigerians the register.
“I can’t recall a extra brazen invitation to mistrust the voter register. INEC introduced a seven-day train after which did not make the register out there on the portal offered for public scrutiny.
‘’Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires show at registration areas and on-line. INEC doesn’t get to deal with that requirement as non-compulsory.
“Worse nonetheless, INEC’s chairman reportedly mentioned on October 5 that the general public show had already been accomplished. Nigerians had been subsequently instructed it could happen from October 9 to fifteen.
“Which assertion is true? Where was the register revealed? For seven full days, or for no days in any respect? INEC should produce the dates, the hyperlinks and the data of entry.
“Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 permits a returning officer to depend a poll paper with out INEC’s official mark if glad that it got here from a ebook provided to the polling unit. What proof will set up that origin?
‘’Who will confirm it, and the way will events problem a false declare? Nigerians can’t be denied entry to the voters’ register earlier than election day after which be requested to just accept unmarked poll papers after voting.
“INEC should set out enforceable safeguards in opposition to counterfeit ballots, and the National Assembly should shut any loophole that leaves the authenticity of a vote to an officer’s unsupported assurance.
‘’To date, INEC has but to answer inquiries in regards to the id of the businesses awarded contracts to print delicate election supplies,’’ he acknowledged
CCND Gives INEC Eight Days to Publish Voters Register Online or Face Legal Action
A civic group, Concerned Citizens for Nigerian Democracy (CCND), has known as on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the preliminary voters’ register on its web site by Friday, 30 October, or face courtroom motion.
In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request addressed to the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, the group mentioned Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 required the fee to publish the register not later than 90 days earlier than a basic election.
For the presidential election of 16 January 2027, it mentioned, the deadline was 18 October.
CCND mentioned it could ask the Federal High Court for “an order of mandamus compelling publication and an extension of the period for claims and objections” if the register was not posted on-line.
The group famous that the Act required publication “at every registration area and on its official website.”
It additionally acknowledged that INEC introduced a bodily show from 9 to fifteen October, however mentioned when it checked the fee’s voter registration web site (cvr.inecnigeria.org) on 21 October, the web page confirmed solely the message “Service temporarily unavailable”, including: “No preliminary register could be viewed or downloaded.”
It added that there have been public reviews that voters at show centres may verify solely their very own names on request.
The group recalled that forward of the 2023 elections, INEC revealed the register on-line with a course of for claims and objections.
“Citizens, parties and observers cannot check it for duplicate, deceased or unlawfully transferred entries, and the 14-day window for claims and objections is meaningless. The register is the foundation of the election,” It added.
Chuks Okocha, Olawale Ajimotokan and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
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