A political expert has warned Nigerians not to fully trust the technology used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying confidence in the system has been damaged.
Dr Sam Amadi, director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, said people should be cautious because of what happened during recent elections, particularly the governorship poll in Edo State.
Amadi said there were “gross flaws” and “manipulations” in how results were handled, leaving many Nigerians doubtful about technology being trustworthy next time.
Amadi spoke in Abuja at a Citizens' town hall on the upcoming elections on Sunday.
He said the commission’s performance in the Edo election did not give confidence that it would do better in future polls.
“There is no reason to trust that they would act honestly to uphold electoral integrity,” he said, pointing to differences between printed results and what was uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
INEC has said it is working to fix the problems seen in previous elections.
Its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, told a town hall meeting that the technical glitches that affected result transmission in earlier polls have been “eliminated” and many more tests are being done ahead of 2027.
“The glitch… by God’s grace, will not suffice in Nigeria,” he said.
As the 2027 elections draw closer, Nigerians are watching closely to see whether INEC can improve its processes and rebuild public confidence ahead of choosing new leaders.
