2027 poll: INEC fears AI-powered disinformation

Nigeria faces mounting subnational debt as 12 governors approach the end of their tenures, leaving a combined debt burden of approximately N5.3tn for their successors. Simultaneously, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) warns of the potential threat that AI-powered disinformation could pose to the integrity of the 2027 general elections. The commission is conducting an audit of its electoral technology systems and planning a mock presidential election to assess its readiness.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has launched an investigation into a purported government agency, the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. The committee has discovered around 58 bank accounts associated with the entity's former Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi. They are also probing an alleged N400m transaction linked to representations of securing a contract for official residence renovations or furnishings. The committee insists that the findings do not amount to a determination of criminal guilt.

Federal workers are demanding a significant increase in the national minimum wage, proposing to raise it from the current N70,000 to N300,000. They argue that the current wage structure no longer reflects the rising cost of living. The Federal Workers Forum has also recommended a maximum salary of N1.5m for Level 17 officers as part of a comprehensive review of federal civil servants' remuneration.

In a political development, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has stated that if President Bola Tinubu loses the 2027 presidential election, he could become a target of opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party who supports Tinubu, emphasized his intention to remain politically active despite the changing dynamics ahead of the election.