Strengthening Electoral Accountability Through AI-Powered Civic Technology Tools: A Case Study of ÀDÉHÙN in Nigeria.

Abstract

Electoral accountability remains a major challenge in Nigeria and across West Africa, with persistent gaps between campaign promises and governance outcomes, weakening citizens' trust in democratic processes. This paper examines how AI-powered civic technology can strengthen electoral accountability using the ÀDÉHÙN Electoral Accountability Tool as a case study. The study highlights how ÀDÉHÙN applies defined indicators, such as clarity, feasibility, inclusivity, coverage, and policy alignment, to evaluate candidate promises and support comparative assessment. It also shows how natural language processing enables the extraction and analysis of manifesto content for more evidence-based electoral information. The paper adopts a qualitative approach relying on secondary data from platform outputs, reports, stakeholder engagements, and existing literature on civic technology and AI in governance across West Africa and beyond. Findings suggest that AI-enabled civic tools can improve the quality of voter information, encourage policy-based voting, and extend accountability beyond elections. However, challenges such as limited access to data on candidates' policy priorities, the absence of costed manifestos, and low levels of institutional cooperation continue to undermine effectiveness. The paper concludes that while AI-powered civic technology offers strong potential to improve electoral accountability in West Africa, its impact depends on greater data openness and stronger institutional support systems.