The post-mortem analysis of the Edo 2024 election by many election observer groups documented how the collation process of the election results by INEC was opaque, chaotic, and vulnerable to manipulation and, in some locations, violently disrupted, especially in Oredo, Egor, Etsako West, Etsako East, Akoko Edo, Owan East local governments, and others. The report also identified six challenges that plagued the collation of results of the 2024 election: INEC’s missteps and misconduct; deliberate denial of access to observers and media; logistical shortfalls; intentional disruption by politicians, political thugs, and party agents; and intimidation of collation staff by security agents. However, there were no reported cases of denial of access to either local or international observers and the media at collation centres in Edo State.
As the 2027 Nigerian elections approach, INEC must eliminate the manual collation of election results and use electronic transmission, calculation, and collation to prevent fraud during result collation. All result collation and calculation should be handled online, and the uploading of unit results into IREV should be the final human effort. INEC should use technology to calculate and communicate election results in order to eliminate bogus budgets, as INEC would no longer need ward and local government collation officers if technology is introduced to collate and calculate results at those levels. These technological reforms do not require a bogus budget to execute. INEC should redesign IREV to calculate ward and local government results, state by state, from the data uploaded onto the IREV platform. Nigeria’s 2027 elections do not need ward and local government returning officers because electoral fraud is now often committed at these levels. We need an enhanced IREV to handle ward and local government result collation.
Some jurisdictions have experimented with communication systems that use computer-assisted technology, where voting station officials enter election results via the IREV, telephone, or a similar device connected to a results-counting platform. IREV can be connected to the Internet and the World Wide Web. As access to public computer networks increases, electoral officials may post future election results directly online or via other interfaces on the emerging information highway. Already tested in some jurisdictions with varying degrees of success, election results can be posted instantaneously to a global audience using the internet. These technologies will eliminate ward and local government collation centres and consequently reduce INEC’s bloated budgets. A credible election does not depend on an inflated INEC budget.
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Enhancing provisions for the electronic transmission and collation of results presents several considerable benefits to Nigeria’s electoral process. It would improve transparency by offering real-time updates and minimise the risk of manual errors or result manipulation during collation.
The success of any election depends on efficient planning and execution — accreditation, voting, counting, collation, and results declaration. Each of these processes feeds into the next. Collation and declaration of results are critical stages in the election process. Failure to complete the collation and transmission of results in a quick, transparent, and accurate manner can jeopardise public confidence and the credibility of the elections and will most likely affect whether candidates and political parties accept the final results. There are situations where the integrity of a well-run electoral process is severely compromised because of problems experienced during the collation and declaration of results. Collation and declaration of results are, therefore, critical moments that require proper care and attention. We experienced this during the Edo 2024 governorship election.
Since INEC cannot make do with the N40 billion allocated in the 2025 budget, the federal government needs to look outside. A better service for much less can be obtained from nearby Ghana or even the South African Electoral Commission. We should not let pride cause us to continue making costly mistakes. The INEC under Mahmood Yakubu is one of the worst and most corruption-laden organisations in the world, especially when considering the collation of results during the Edo 2024 governorship election. INEC violated its own guidelines and the Electoral Act 2022 concerning the collation of election results during that election.
For an organisation that conducts elections prone to being overturned by courts, asking for more funding should not be a consideration at a time when we are struggling with debt repayment and servicing. Most of the loans obtained funded INEC’s failed electronic voting initiatives. I advise the federal government to invite bids from other, more efficient electoral commissions to compete for this service.
As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 elections, several key reforms have been recommended to improve the electoral process and address issues that have historically affected the country’s democracy. It is crucial to focus on the efforts of various stakeholders and the National Assembly to facilitate further amendments to the Electoral Act 2022. These amendments should incorporate lessons learnt from previous elections, particularly regarding the use of technology in the electoral process, which are expected to enhance the electoral system’s efficiency and transparency.
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One significant area of focus is enhancing provisions related to the electronic transmission and calculation of results, which could bolster public confidence by providing real-time and accurate outcomes. Enhancing provisions for the electronic calculation and transmission of results presents several considerable benefits to Nigeria’s electoral process. It would improve transparency by offering real-time updates and minimise the risk of manual errors or results manipulation during collation, as observed in recent elections like the Edo off-cycle governorship election. Integrating electronic transmission will expedite the announcement of results and reduce delays that often exacerbate tensions. Furthermore, electronic transmission would reinforce public confidence by ensuring accuracy and deterring fraud. It can be argued that the electronic transmission of results also aids evidence-based dispute resolution by creating verifiable digital records necessary for the transparent and efficient resolution of electoral disputes. As we advocate for these progressive reforms, it is equally crucial that these modifications to the electoral legal framework are completed swiftly to allow for testing these provisions in upcoming off-cycle elections before the general elections in 2027.
As the commission continues to deepen the use of technology in our elections, it is essential to prioritise the improvement of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other technological innovations for voter accreditation and the use of IREV for results management. This includes supporting the commission’s recommendation to move away from using Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for voter identification. Introducing biometric systems, such as the BVAS, enables voter verification without the need for physical cards. Since the BVAS stores records of voters’ biometrics, implementing biometric identification could streamline the accreditation and voting processes while also reducing costs associated with printing physical cards. Eliminating the need for PVCs could significantly decrease the financial burden of producing and distributing these cards, which is particularly relevant in Nigeria, given the country’s economic challenges. Additionally, relying on biometric verification could minimise the risk of voter impersonation and manipulation, ensuring that only eligible voters can cast their ballots. This initiative will enhance transparency and address past concerns regarding the reliability of voter identification. The IREV calculation of wards and local governments’ results will eliminate fraud at these levels.
Inwalomhe Donald writes via inwalomhe.donald@yahoo.com.
