The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, will lead a PUNCH Media Foundation webinar on artificial intelligence, misinformation, and Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The PUNCH webinar series on AI, misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 general elections seeks to promote the responsible use of AI during the polls and safeguard electoral integrity amid growing concerns that the technology could be exploited to manipulate voters, spread disinformation and erode public confidence in the electoral process.
The virtual event, themed “AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote,” is scheduled for Wednesday, 11 November 2026, at 11:00 am.
It will bring together stakeholders from the media, electoral administration, security, technology, and civil society sectors to discuss the growing threat posed by digitally manipulated content and the measures required to safeguard the integrity of election-related information.
Other resource persons to illuminate the PMF webinar discourse are the Director of Projects at the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation, Mayowa Tijani; the Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu; and the founder of FactsMatterNG, Hannah Ajakaiye.
The Metro Editor of PUNCH Newspapers, Mr Joel Nwokeoma, will moderate the session, ensuring that the speakers provide practical insights to the theme.
The discussants will examine how Nigeria can harness the benefits of AI while preventing its misuse to spread false information, manipulate public opinion, and weaken trust in the electoral process during next year’s general elections.
Other areas of focus include newsroom AI policies, human oversight, and the standards required to preserve editorial credibility when AI tools are deployed by INEC, journalists, election observers, and other stakeholders to improve efficiency and address bureaucratic bottlenecks in election coverage.
The webinar is expected to provide participants with practical insights into identifying false and manipulated content, strengthening verification practices and promoting accurate communication during electoral periods.
It will also explore opportunities for collaboration among relevant stakeholders to address AI-driven misinformation and strengthen public confidence ahead of the 2027 elections.
The PUNCH Media Foundation is the development arm of PUNCH Nigeria Limited.
Established in 2019, the Foundation works to stimulate a just, inclusive and thriving civic space through accountability journalism, digital journalism, public policy advocacy and media development.
Through the strategic use of media, technology and advocacy, PMF works to drive sustainable social change in Nigeria.
Meet the discussants
IGP Tunji Disu: The number one police officer in Nigeria, who will be leading the discussion, will speak on electoral security, public safety, threat verification, and inter-agency coordination.
Disu was appointed as the 23rd indigenous IGP on 24 February 2026 by President Bola Tinubu. Born on April 13, 1966, on Lagos Island, Lagos State, Disu joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, and has served for over three decades across multiple operational and leadership roles.
A graduate of English Education from Lagos State University, Disu holds two master’s degrees, one in Public Administration from Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, and another in Criminology, Security, and Legal Psychology from Lagos State University. He has attended numerous professional training courses within and outside Nigeria.
Disu rose to national prominence as Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos, where he served for six years and rebranded RRS officers as “The Good Guys.”
Under his leadership, the unit won the Best Anti-Crime Squad award in West Africa in 2016, and he was named Most Outstanding Anti-Crime Police Chief in West and Central Africa in 2019.
On August 2, 2021, he was appointed to head the Intelligence Response Team, replacing suspended Abba Kyari. The IRT is a specialised unit tasked with investigating high-profile crimes and coordinating intelligence operations across the country.
Disu later served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Before he was appointed IGP, he was Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos.
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In 2005, Disu led Nigeria’s first police contingent to the African Union Mission in Sudan, serving as acting Chief of Staff in Darfur.
Outside policing, Disu is a judoka, holding a third-dan black belt. He won a silver medal at the 33rd U.S. Open Judo Championship in 2022, competing in the under-100kg veteran category. He has also won gold medals at the National Sports Festival, Nigerian Police Games, and is currently the patron of the Nigerian Police Judo Association.
Mohammed Haruna: The National Commissioner and Chairman of the INEC Information and Voter Education Committee would be discussing official election information, voter education, and institutional response to misinformation.
The INEC commissioner began his journalism career with New Nigerian Newspapers Ltd., where he rose through the ranks from reporter to Acting Editor and Managing Director.
He later co-founded the newsmagazine Citizen before serving as Chief Press Secretary to Nigeria’s Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, in 1998/99.
Haruna holds a degree in Government from Ahmadu Bello University, a postgraduate diploma in Administration from Glasgow Polytechnic, a Master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University, New York, and an Advanced Diploma in Management from Harvard University.
During the webinar, the INEC Information and Voter Education Committee chair will be bringing decades of experience in journalism, media leadership, and public service to bear.
Mayowa Tijani: The Director of Projects at the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation will be focusing on AI, election reporting, newsroom standards, and editorial trust during the webinar.
Tijani is an award-winning development journalist and fact-checker who has reported major international development events and four Nigerian presidential elections, and was selected by the US Department of State to cover the 2020 US presidential election.
His work in fact-checking, disinformation research and policy has involved organisations including Agence France-Presse, X (formerly Twitter), and the Centre for Democracy and Development.
He is a recipient of the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers recognition and has earned international recognition for his contributions to journalism. He holds a master’s degree with distinction in Media Practice for Development and Social Change from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom, as a Chevening Scholar.
Cynthia Mbamalu: The Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa will be focusing on electoral integrity, citizen trust, participation, and civic resilience during the PMF webinar.
Mbamalu, a human and gender rights advocate with 19 years of experience in democracy, political inclusion, electoral integrity, and policy reform, co-founded Yiaga Africa and played a key role in the Not Too Young to Run movement, which helped lower the constitutional age requirements for elective offices in Nigeria.
She leads the #WatchingTheVote project, a data-driven initiative promoting election integrity, and manages community organising programmes for young people in Nigeria and West Africa.
Mbamalu also serves on the Board of Amnesty International Nigeria and hosts the UnAmplified Podcast, which explores democracy and development in Africa. She holds a Master of Laws in Comparative Constitutional Law from Central European University and is an alumna of executive programmes at Harvard Kennedy School, the University of South Africa, and the University of Cape Town.
Hannah Ajakaiye: Ajakaiye is the founder of FactsMatterNG, a civic media non-profit that uses social media to reach young and underserved audiences with fact-checking, media literacy, and civic education content.
During the webinar, she will be focusing on frontline verification, synthetic content, and information integrity.
Ajakaiye has received several prestigious journalism fellowships, including the JSK Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University and the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship at the United Nations.
She previously worked as a reporter at The Nation, earning journalism awards for her reporting on development and social justice issues. Through the Knight Fellowship Programme at the International Centre for Journalists, she led initiatives to counter disinformation about COVID-19 and elections.
The FactsMatterNG is a Chevening alumna and holds a master’s degree in Media Practice for Development and Social Change from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom.
To participate in the webinar, which is a non-partisan, educational webinar on how AI-generated content affects public trust and information integrity, with a focus on Nigeria’s 2027 election cycle, register here https://tinyurl.com/2027-Ai-Election-Webinar
