Michael made the remarks while speaking with National Focus in a phone conversation, where he explained how AI could be used to monitor the electoral process and identify discrepancies between results recorded at polling units and figures eventually declared.

He said the focus should not be on building an AI system that determines who wins an election, but on using technology to help Nigerians detect when election results do not correspond with what happened at polling units.

According to him, election rigging is not limited to ballot-box manipulation, as it can also occur through the manipulation of results, inconsistencies during collation, altered documents and coordinated misinformation.

Michael said there could be significant discrepancies between what happens at polling units and what is eventually declared during the collation process.

“AI can connect those dots for us,” he said, advocating an independent AI-powered election monitoring system capable of tracking results from polling units through wards, local government areas and states.

He explained that such a system could compare results sheets with transmitted results, reconcile figures at different stages of collation and flag mathematical inconsistencies.

Michael added that AI could identify abnormal voting patterns, duplicate or suspicious result sheets and potentially manipulated images.

He said the technology could also flag situations where the number of accredited voters or the population of an electoral area does not correspond with the figures eventually declared.

“When something doesn’t add up, it doesn’t say AI will not come out and say this election was rigged. It will clearly say, ‘Investigate this polling unit,’” he explained.

The Analaize CEO proposed that voters and observers at polling units should photograph result sheets immediately after results are recorded, creating independent, time-stamped evidence that could be compared with official results.

“If they match, it automatically becomes verified. If they don’t, discrepancy detected,” Michael said.

He noted that such a system, if deployed across Nigeria’s more than 180,000 polling units, could transform election monitoring by providing real-time evidence of discrepancies and suspicious activities.

Michael stressed that AI would not replace the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), election observers, journalists or political parties, but would give them the speed, scale and evidence required to monitor the electoral process more effectively.

He warned that waiting until months after an election to discover that thousands of results do not reconcile could be too late, particularly after elected officials had been sworn into office.

“The objective shouldn’t be to build an AI that decides who won an election. The objective should be to build an AI that makes it extraordinarily difficult to severely change what happened,” he said.

Michael argued that Nigeria could draw lessons from the use of AI in detecting fraud in banking, cybersecurity and financial systems and apply similar technology to protect the integrity of elections.

“The future of election integrity may not be another voting machine. It may be an AI watching the entire electoral system, one polling unit at a time,” he said.

He added: “Nigeria doesn’t need AI to choose our leaders. Nigeria needs AI to help make sure that people choose them, not them choosing themselves.”

The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the outcome of the election was a clear message from voters in Osun State about what Nigerians should expect in 2027.

The PDP said Adeleke’s victory came despite what it described as “strong will, vigilance and resistance” by the people of Osun against alleged attempts by the APC to win the state at all costs.

The opposition party also accused the ruling party of using intimidation and other tactics during the election, alleging that opposition politicians were targeted in the build-up to the poll.

It specifically referenced the invitation of Senator Francis Fadahunsi by the police, describing it as part of what it called a broader attempt to intimidate opposition figures.

The PDP further raised concerns over the conduct of some national institutions during the election, alleging that the security agencies failed to maintain neutrality.

It also criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the freezing of the state’s account and questioned the delay in the uploading of results from 470 polling units by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

While commending the people of Osun for what it described as their resilience, the PDP urged Nigerians not to become complacent as the 2027 elections approach.

The party called on voters to protect their votes and remain vigilant, saying the experience in Osun should serve as a lesson ahead of the next general election.

“Overall, the result from Osun is an advance payment by Nigerians against the APC; the balance will come in 2027,” the party said.

The PDP maintained that election results must reflect the wishes of voters freely expressed through the ballot, rather than what it described as the preferences of a privileged minority.

It added that Nigerians must remain vigilant to protect the democratic process and ensure that their votes count in future elections.

Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, Osunbor acknowledged that INEC had begun to regain public trust following its handling of recent issues involving the ADC, but said two major developments were still troubling to many Nigerians.

The former Edo State governor questioned the commission’s earlier attempt to revalidate Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), arguing that there was no clear justification for the exercise.

According to him, many Nigerians suspected the move was intended to invalidate existing voter cards, thereby preventing eligible voters from participating in the 2027 general election.

“There was really no point for that attempt to revalidate voter cards, and many suspected it was an attempt to invalidate people’s cards so that they could not use those cards during the 2027 general election,” he said.

Osunbor noted that the proposal sparked widespread public criticism, forcing the electoral commission to abandon the idea.

“There was a massive outcry, and thankfully INEC saw that this was a very unpopular move. If there was any sinister motive behind it, that motive had become public knowledge. Again, that did not do any credit to INEC’s credibility,” he added.

He also raised concerns over incidents during the recent Ekiti State governorship election, alleging that voter cards were openly distributed at what he described as an APC gathering.

According to Osunbor, videos circulating on social media showed people being handed voter cards, prompting questions about how the cards were obtained and whether those receiving them were registered to vote in the affected polling units.

“During the Ekiti governorship election, we saw cards being shared out to people on social media, obviously for people to go and vote for the APC because it was an APC kind of gathering. How did those people get access to those cards that they were sharing to people who apparently had not been registered to vote in those units?” he asked.

The ADC chieftain said such incidents continue to cast serious doubt on the credibility of the electoral body and its ability to conduct elections impartially.