A Catholic priest and university scholar, Innocent Uwah, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to leverage artificial intelligence to enhance the electronic transmission of election results.
PUNCH Online reports that there have been concerns in parts of the country over what critics describe as the reluctance of the leadership of the National Assembly to provide clearer legal backing for real-time electronic transmission of results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Uwah, who is the Acting Vice-Chancellor of Nigerian British University, said the proper deployment of AI-enabled technologies would boost capacity, strengthen credibility and address challenges associated with transmitting poll results electronically.
He spoke with journalists during the institution’s third matriculation ceremony held on Saturday.
Noting that AI has been successfully deployed in education, medicine and other sectors, the don wondered why it could not be fully adopted in Nigeria’s electoral system.
He said, “The Nigerian British University is interested in pushing the frontiers of knowledge, and because of this, we are happy to harp on AI as a tool for moving the nation forward. Conceived as a technology-driven university, NBU is geared towards becoming the leading hub for artificial intelligence research.
“We have introduced this in academia in the Nigerian British University, and I think that the government should really leverage this. If we in Nigeria key into automation enabled by AI, our electoral process will be clear and reliable. Election results, when declared, will not be faulted.
“AI has been introduced in medicine and education. It has been used variously in research. Why wouldn’t AI be massively impactful in politics?”
Uwah said Nigeria could not continue to lag behind in global development.
“We appeal to the INEC chairman to leverage technology that can give us better election results. The digital world has shown us that AI-enabled technologies are here to stay. Why should we shy away from them?
“Once INEC agrees to these technological developments, the results will be reliable and dependable. People will feel confident. They cannot continue to talk about the lack of capacity to transmit results electronically. Are we not in the 21st century?” he asked.
Comparing the electoral process with banking operations, he added, “Banks use technological devices to transmit money. Why can’t we apply the same in our electoral processes?
“If we shy away from using these AI-enabled tools, then we have something to hide. I appeal to the INEC chairman and all politicians to know and believe that AI technologies can help salvage the nation.”
The acting vice-chancellor congratulated the new students, disclosing that the institution currently runs five faculties and two schools, with 257 students matriculating.
“Licensed in May 2022, the Nigerian British University commenced operations in February 2023 with three start-up faculties: Management and Social Sciences, Law, and Computing and Information Technology, which housed 16 programmes. In June 2024, two more faculties were added after receiving approval from the Senate of the university and the National Universities Commission.
“This class of matriculants is 257 in number. Distributed across the five faculties, it goes as follows: Faculty of Computing and Information Technology – 52, Faculty of Law – 52, Faculty of Management and Social Sciences – 29, College of Health Sciences – 101, and Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences – 23,” he said.
Uwah urged the students to be diligent, hardworking, and to avoid negative peer influence.
“As your vice-chancellor and father in this community of intellectuals, I urge you to be diligent and hardworking. You are ambassadors of this university and your families. Seize the opportunity to become great.
“Choose your friends wisely and do not follow gangs. Peer pressure can exert a bad influence. Change your friends if they are not good. Aim high, love excellence and pursue it. Attend lectures and do not be lazy,” he advised.
