With six months to the 2027 round of general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians of free, fair and credible polls, expressing confidence that it has resolved the technical glitches that affected the electronic transmission of results during the 2023 general elections by strengthening its technology and operational processes.

The assurance came as Yiaga Africa raised concerns over gaps in the country’s electronic election results management framework at a policy roundtable on electronic transmission and collation of election results it organised in Abuja yesterday.

Presenting a policy brief titled, “Securing the Vote through Electronic Transmission and Collation of Election Results,” Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said although the Electoral Act 2026 had made electronic transmission of polling unit results mandatory, critical aspects of the process remained opaque. According to Itodo, while polling unit results are uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, the commission’s backend validation process is not publicly understood, which he said has raised questions about transparency.

It also observed that only polling unit results (Form EC8A) are published on the portal, while ward (Form EC8B) and local government (Form EC8C) collation results remain inaccessible to the public, making independent verification of the collation process difficult. Yiaga expressed concern over the existence of three versions of election results: the physical Form EC8A, the scanned image uploaded to IReV and the electronically transmitted record—without a clearly defined legal hierarchy where discrepancies arise.

To improve public confidence ahead of the 2026 Osun State governorship election and the 2027 general election, the organisation urged INEC to publish a detailed protocol explaining how results move from polling units to the IReV portal, disclose the purpose and duration of the backend validation process, upload ward and local government collation results, publish accreditation figures alongside Form EC8A, and conduct publicly observable mock exercises before major elections.

Responding to the presentation, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Dr Lawrence Bayode, disagreed with Yiaga’s assertion that the validation process lacked visibility. Bayode said Form EC8A was completed and verified at the polling unit, insisting that the electronic process merely complements the physical result sheet rather than replacing it.

“What the electronic system does is to validate and ensure that the polling unit result endorsed by the Presiding Officer and party agents is the same as what is captured electronically. Everything is done right there at the polling unit,” he said. He explained that the system automatically compares the number of accredited voters with the votes entered, preventing impossible figures from being uploaded.

“If 100 voters were accredited in a polling unit and somebody attempts to upload a result showing 1,000 votes, the system immediately rejects it because the accreditation data comes directly from the same device used for accreditation,” Bayode explained.

According to him, the system also employs geospatial validation and pattern recognition to ensure results are transmitted only from the designated polling units. “If an election is conducted in the FCT and the system detects a result being uploaded from Lagos, should such a result be accepted? Of course not. That is why validation and pattern recognition are critical,” he added.

While acknowledging calls for greater transparency, Bayode maintained that INEC could not publicly disclose every component of its technological architecture because of security considerations.

Earlier, INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, who represented the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), assured Nigerians that lessons from the 2023 presidential election had informed major improvements in the commission’s electoral processes. “We have no fears; not at all. That is why we are having this engagement today. We will discuss the issues we anticipate, suggest solutions and take it from there,” Zuru said.

Asked whether Nigerians could expect a repeat of the technical glitches that affected the uploading of presidential election results in 2023, he replied that the commission had demonstrated significant progress through subsequent elections. “Since the 2023 general election, we have conducted several by-elections, governorship elections and the FCT elections. Everyone agrees there has been remarkable improvement in the conduct of these elections,” he said.

Zuru also disclosed that INEC was considering Yiaga Africa’s recommendation to conduct mock election exercises much earlier than in previous election cycles. National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, commended INEC for deploying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IReV portal but urged the commission to prevent a repeat of the shortcomings witnessed during the 2023 presidential election.

Amupitan seeks review of Electoral Act to address party dispute resolutions

Despite the commission’s assurances, INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, yesterday called for further amendments to the Electoral Act to address existing loopholes in the law. Amupitan made the call while delivering a keynote address at the launch of a book, “Shadows,” authored by the Managing Director of THISDAY newspaper, Eniola Bello, in Abuja.

President Bola Tinubu signed the 2026 Electoral Act on February 18. Although the legislation contains about 154 clauses, Clause 60, which makes electronic transmission of results optional, generated the most controversy. However, Amupitan said the law should be further amended to provide that all matters relating to internal disputes of the political parties are resolved at least one year before a general election.

“We desire that the Electoral Act further be amended so that every matter relating to the internal dispute of the parties must be resolved at least one year before the election. And that will help us to prevent some of the shenanigans that we notice in relation to the activities of the parties,” he said.

He noted that though the Electoral Act has been amended, there is a need to pre-upload the candidates on the political parties, a timeline for the procurement of sensitive and non-sensitive materials and testing electoral equipment to be sure that they are going to be used in the operations of the election to ensure a fair and free election. According to him, these are not outlined in the provisions of the amended Act.

Amupitan, who has led INEC to conduct a few elections since his appointment last year, vowed that despite its challenges, the commission would ensure the 2027 general elections are credible and inclusive. “There is no perfect democracy, but I want to assure you that despite our challenges, INEC has made sure that the 2027 election is fair, is free, is credible, and is inclusive.

He also disclosed that INEC has decided that all collation problems should be resolved at polling units, stating, “If there are inconsistencies, if there are irreconcilable figures at the polling unit, that does not even go to INEC.”

The nation’s electoral process has often been marred by vote buying, suppression, and other irregularities. The National Assembly passed the 2026 Electoral Act to improve the electoral process, but concerns about the integrity and transparency of the elections persist.

CSOs unveil new platform for citizens to upload polling unit results

A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and election stakeholders on Thursday launched an Independent Election Results Platform (IERP) designed to allow citizens to independently upload and verify polling unit results, in a move aimed at strengthening electoral transparency, curbing manipulation and restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s elections.

The platform was unveiled in Abuja during the inaugural stakeholders’ meeting of the National Electoral Accountability Consortium, with participants describing it as a citizen-driven technological intervention that would provide an independent repository of election results and improve accountability in the country’s electoral process.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) supported the initiative, saying credible elections remain fundamental to the protection of citizens’ civil and political rights. Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr Tony Ojukwu (SAN), Uzoamaka Ifechi-Fred, the chief legal officer at NHRC, commended TAP Initiative and the National Electoral Accountability Consortium for spearheading the project.

The Commission said innovative platforms that promote transparency, accountability and public participation would significantly strengthen Nigeria’s democracy. According to the NHRC, the Commission remains committed to working with relevant stakeholders to advance free, fair, inclusive and peaceful elections while protecting every Nigeria’s right to participate in governance without fear, intimidation or discrimination.

It noted that as Nigeria’s apex human rights institution, the NHRC would continue its tradition of election monitoring to safeguard citizens’ rights throughout the electoral process.

Earlier, Executive Director of TAP Initiative, Martin Obono, said the Independent Election Results Platform was conceived to empower ordinary citizens to become active participants in election transparency by uploading polling unit results directly to an independent platform. He explained that the initiative was designed to eliminate concerns over technical failures or political interference often associated with election result management.

Obono also announced the establishment of the National Electoral Accountability Consortium, stressing that safeguarding elections requires broad collaboration rather than isolated efforts.

Also speaking, Spaces for Change described the platform as a civic technology solution that would strengthen transparency, credibility and public confidence in elections through independent citizen participation.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, represented by Sylvanus Yekpe in a goodwill message, welcomed the initiative, saying the ruling party supports every effort aimed at promoting transparency in the electoral process. He urged participants to take the message of peaceful elections back to their communities, stressing that violence-free polls remain essential for Nigeria’s democratic stability.

Obi urges INEC to extend voter registration

Ahead of Sunday’s deadline, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has appealed to INEC to extend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to allow more eligible Nigerians, particularly young people, to register.

Obi appealed in a statement posted on his official X handle yesterday, arguing that extending the registration period would promote wider participation in the electoral process without undermining preparations for the polls.

According to the former Anambra State governor, thousands of Nigerians attain the age of 18 every day and become constitutionally eligible to vote. He said they should not be denied the opportunity to exercise their civic rights because of an early closure of the registration exercise.

He noted that his position is supported by a Federal High Court judgment delivered on November 22, 2022, in the case of Anaja Salmat & 3 Others v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/2022). According to Obi, the court ruled that voter registration should continue until 90 days before a general election to protect the constitutional voting rights of eligible Nigerians.

Obi acknowledged INEC’s responsibility to conduct credible elections and recognised the need for sufficient time to clean the voters’ register and complete logistical preparations, but maintained that the electoral process should prioritise expanding participation rather than limiting it.

“A democracy is strengthened when every eligible citizen has the opportunity to be heard. I therefore urge INEC to adopt a registration timeline that protects the integrity of the process while ensuring that no eligible Nigerian, especially our young people, is unnecessarily disenfranchised,” Obi added.

INEC records 2.97m voters in phase III, asks relocated voters to transfer registration before deadline

INEC has announced that as of July 17, 2026, 2,970,957 Nigerians completed the ongoing Phase III Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). The latest week 10 update showed that 970,865 registrants completed the process online, while 2,000,092 completed physical registration nationwide.

Lagos recorded the highest number of completed registrations with 140,546, followed by Edo with 139,313, Delta with 132,330, Kano with 134,305, Taraba with 113,409, Ebonyi with 111,344 and Sokoto with 109,076. Other states with high registration figures include Ogun (96,571), Bauchi (96,061), Jigawa (95,592), Kaduna (92,505), Oyo (88,716), Benue (88,840), Imo (88,155), Anambra (87,195), Nasarawa (86,914) and Cross River (86,559).

According to the commission, Osun State recorded no registrations as voter registration remains suspended ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022. A breakdown of the demographic data showed that female registrants accounted for 1,561,765 or 52.57 per cent of the total, while male registrants stood at 1,409,192, representing 47.43 per cent.

The youth between the ages of 18 and 34 dominated the registration with 2,003,183 registrants, representing 67.43 per cent of the total.

Registrants aged 35 to 49 accounted for 645,651 (21.73 per cent), those aged 50 to 69 stood at 294,443 (9.91 per cent), while 27,680 persons aged 70 years and above, representing 0.93 per cent, also registered.

Meanwhile, INEC has urged voters to transfer their voter registration to their new location before the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ends. In a statement on its official X page on Thursday, INEC said voters can easily transfer their voter registration to their new location online or by visiting a CVR centre.

“Have you moved to a new location? Your vote should move with you. Don’t let your old polling location decide your future. Apply for a Transfer of Registration and vote where you now live either by visiting any CVR registration centre or using the online portal via: cvr.inecnigeria.org,” INEC said.

The electoral umpire also urged Nigerians not to do fresh registration but to transfer their voter registration to their new locations before the end of the CVR on July 26. (The Guardian)

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