A former Director of Information and Communication Technology at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chidi Nwafor, says recent amendments to Nigeria’s electoral framework provide renewed confidence in the country’s capacity to deliver more transparent elections.
Nwafor spoke on Sunday at the Citizens’ Townhall on the Electoral Act 2026 held in Abuja, where electoral stakeholders assessed the readiness of institutions ahead of the 2027 polls.
“Technologically speaking, for me, the new Electoral Act has given us hope. In the new Electoral Act, you now have IReV in there. Whether we like it or not, we don’t have a 100 per cent network, we know that,” he said.
Providing context on infrastructure realities, Nwafor added, “At the time we did that design, we had about 93 to 94 per cent 2G coverage.
“As of today, we are talking about roughly 86 to 89 per cent in terms of 3G. You can compress your data and use 2G to send your information, that is not the issue.”
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‘Real-time Reporting’
He stressed that the central goal of the reforms is the real-time transmission of results from polling units.
“There is this word, real time. You finish the election, count it, and when you finish counting, you send two pieces of information: the accredited voters and the results,” he said.
According to him, the process already allows officials to transmit both the accreditation figures and images of result sheets, though connectivity gaps may still occur in remote areas.
“There are two possibilities, one is that you must snap and send. The second is that it may not go because of network challenges,” he noted.
Nwafor explained that delayed uploads do not necessarily compromise the integrity of the process, as data can still be transmitted once connectivity improves.
“The moment you move from the polling unit to the ward, you get more network. If you send a message through your phone and it didn’t go, once you get a network, it sends, and the results have their own transfer mechanism,” he said.
Digital Infrastructure, Security Coordination
Highlighting the legal backing for electronic records, he said, “People should be able to go to court and see that this law says we must have digital electronic results in a database. INEC needs to have it and needs to develop it further.”
He added that the commission retains the authority to refine operational procedures.
“The commission can develop its regulations and guidelines to make the system work better,” he said.
Beyond technology, the former ICT chief urged authorities to reassess election security arrangements.
He said security agencies supporting election operations “need to be reviewed” to ensure they align with the new technological framework and do not hinder efficient result management.
Nigeria’s electoral framework was updated after President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law on February 18, 2026, replacing the 2022 version ahead of the next general elections.
The law introduces mandatory electronic transmission of results to the results viewing portal, formal recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, revised timelines for party primaries, and earlier release of election funding.
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