Warnings of Digital Threats Ahead of 2027 Polls
Election observers, technology experts, and digital rights advocates have warned that online harassment, disinformation, and technology-facilitated violence could discourage women from participating in Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The warnings were issued during a media engagement held on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, focused on online safety, civic participation, and emerging digital threats ahead of the upcoming polls. Representatives from Digital Africa Research and Safety Lab (DigiAfrica Lab), TechHer, and DigiCivic Initiative spoke at the event.
Observers tasked journalists and social media platforms to strengthen safeguards and monitor for digital threats. They noted that the growing use of artificial intelligence, coordinated online attacks, manipulated social media trends, and threats to publish intimate images could be weaponized against female politicians, journalists, and other women in public life.
Specific Tactics and Risks Identified
Gbemisola Adebowale, senior programmes officer for women’s digital rights and safety at TechHer, stated that technology-facilitated gender-based violence is increasingly being used to intimidate women, damage their reputations, and push them out of online spaces.
Adebowale reported that attacks range from cyber harassment and doxing—which involves the publication of personal information without consent—to threats to release intimate images and the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate photographs.
She noted that such attacks are not limited to the digital realm. The exposure of private information, such as home addresses and family details, could put victims at risk of physical harm beyond the online space.
Adebowale cited a specific instance involving a female influencer who received threats from a social media user claiming to possess nude photographs she denied taking. The woman responded publicly to deny the claim, after which the posts were deleted.
Political Landscape and AI Concerns
The experts highlighted the disparity in political representation as women prepare for the 2027 cycle. Adebowale stated that women occupy less than six percent of political positions in Nigeria. Approximately 400 women are seeking Senate and House of Representatives seats, compared to more than 2,000 men. Only two women have emerged as presidential candidates.
Adebowale warned that the growing availability of artificial intelligence tools could allow perpetrators to manipulate photographs, fabricate intimate images, and spread misleading content during the 2027 election campaign.
Addressing media professionals, Adebowale urged journalists to avoid reporting gender-based violence in ways that reinforce stereotypes or question women’s credibility based on their political ambitions.