Last updated: 14 October 2026. Detection tools and tactics change fast, and no check is perfect. We rewrote this guide around AI-generated content and the 2027 election season.
Fake news is not new, but it has changed. Cheap AI tools can now produce realistic images, cloned voices and fake videos in minutes. Fact-checkers say the main shift since the 2023 elections is not that fake content exists, but the speed, quality and accessibility of the tools that make it. With the presidential election reported for 16 January 2027, Nigeria is entering its heaviest period of political messaging.
What is happening
- AI-generated content is already circulating. Dubawa has confirmed deepfake videos in political circulation, noting unnatural body movements, and researchers have warned that coordinated networks of automated accounts spread them.
- WhatsApp and Telegram matter most. Nigerian fact-checkers expect encrypted messaging platforms to remain central to political rumours in 2026, and misinformation in local languages to outpace fact-checking.
- Fact-checkers are organised. The Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition, formed in June 2022 by Africa Check, CableCheck, FactCheckHub and Dubawa, opened situation rooms during recent state elections, including Ekiti and Osun, to verify harmful narratives. Its coordinator urged Nigerians to pause before sharing unverified information.
- Detection is imperfect. Fact-checkers say AI detectors struggle with local languages and code-switching, and that they cannot match the volume of false content.
Six quick checks before you share
- Stop. Content that makes you very angry, afraid or excited is designed to be shared quickly.
- Check the source. Who published it? Is the account real, and do reliable outlets report the same thing? Official bodies publish on their verified channels.
- Check the date. Old photos and videos are often presented as new events.
- Check the image or video. Use a reverse image search, look for odd details such as strange hands, blurred text, mismatched lip movements or unnatural blinking, and be wary of audio with no visible speaker.
- Check the claim. Search for the claim with the words “fact check”, and visit Dubawa, Africa Check, FactCheckHub or CableCheck.
- Check yourself. Ask whether you want it to be true. Confirmation bias is the fake news seller’s best friend.
Common formats
- Forged official letters and notices, including fake recruitment and admission notices. Agencies regularly deny them. See our guide on CV writing and the scam warnings in internet scams.
- Old pictures with new captions.
- Edited screenshots of tweets, chats or news pages.
- Cloned voices of politicians, celebrities or relatives asking for money.
- Chain messages telling you to forward immediately, or claiming a company is giving away money.
Elections and the law
INEC has set up an artificial intelligence division, and reports say deepfakes were treated as an electoral offence in a May 2025 election, but analysts say Nigerian law has not fully caught up with AI-driven election deception. Spreading false information can also lead to civil or criminal consequences, including under the cybercrime law. See our guide on cybercrime laws. For the voting timetable and registration, see our 2027 election hub and voter registration guide.
What you can do
- Pause before you share, and do not forward anything you have not checked.
- Correct friends and family politely, and share the fact-check, not just a “this is fake”.
- Report fake accounts and posts on the platform.
- Diversify your sources. See our guides on verifying news step by step and how to follow the news without being fooled.
- Be careful with AI chatbots as fact-checkers. They can be wrong too, so confirm with human fact-checkers and primary sources.
How Deepfakes Are Made and How to Spot Them
Deepfakes use AI to imitate faces and voices. Clues include odd blinking or mouth movement, mismatched lighting, blurry edges around the face, flat or robotic speech and a clip that appears only on one account with no original source. These signs are not proof, because good fakes can be convincing, so check the source and context first. Nigerian fact-checkers say AI tools can help but struggle with local languages, so treat detectors as clues.
Election Season Tactics
- Fake notices and fake candidate lists, such as INEC’s warning about a fake governorship notice in October 2026.
- Fake registration portals. INEC warned in October that its registration exercise had ended on 26 July.
- Cloned voices and edited videos of politicians.
If You Shared Something False
- Delete or edit it, and say that it was wrong.
- Tell the people who saw it, if you can.
- Report the original to the platform.
Where to Check
Nigerian fact-checking organisations such as Dubawa, Africa Check, FactCheckHub and CableCheck publish checks, and the Nigeria Fact-checkers Coalition runs situation rooms around elections. See our guides on verifying news and following the news.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a deepfake?
A video, image or audio clip created or altered with AI to make it look or sound like a real person did or said something they did not.
Where can I check a claim in Nigeria?
Dubawa, Africa Check, FactCheckHub and CableCheck are members of the fact-checking coalition.
Is it illegal to share fake news?
Spreading deliberate falsehoods can have legal consequences, particularly when it involves defamation, fraud, threats or electoral offences.
Sources
- RoundCheck: NFC opens situation rooms, warns of misinformation ahead of the Osun election
- TechCabal: Nigeria’s 2027 election may be decided by algorithms before anyone votes
- Techpoint: AI could disrupt Nigeria’s 2027 election
- ICIR: What to expect in Nigeria’s fact-checking space in 2026
- TechCabal: Road to 2027, preparing for elections in a world of AI deepfakes
- African Liberty: Safeguarding Nigeria’s elections in the AI era
