Category Nigeria News

Amended Electoral Act Has Given Us Hope — Ex-INEC ICT Director

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.”

READ ALSO: Manual Results Transmission Option In Electoral Act Not An Issue, Says NSE ICT Head

‘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.

‘Other Parties Are Dying,’ Yilwatda Defends Mass Defections Into APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended the mass defections into the ruling party, citing better management. 

APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, said this on Sunday at the Citizens’ Townhall on the 2026 Electoral Act.

“It is very fair. It is very fair because they discovered that those political parties are already dying. They saw a reason to join us because of how we operate as a party—from party management to organization and mobilization,” Yilwatda said at the event.

“APC seems to be the best party in terms of mobilization, organization, and governance. That provides a leeway for competition. When I go to the market, I have a choice to make: a choice between good governance, good party management, and a transparent system.

“I will give you an example. We have a primary solution where, through consensus, all nine candidates in Osun agreed on a single candidate. No other political party in Nigeria has achieved a consensus like that without ending up in court. Only APC has successfully done that in two states.”

READ ALSO: Adamawa Speaker, 14 Other Lawmakers Dump PDP

In recent months, the APC ranks have swelled, leaving opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and others depleted.

The APC has about 31 governors and an overwhelming majority of the National Assembly members on its register, a move critics claim is turning Nigeria into a one-party state.

[VIDEO] 2027: IReV Will Checkmate Rigging, Says Umeh

Senator Victor Umeh believes the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) will help Nigeria address electoral malpractices

Umeh spoke on Sunday during the Citizens’ Townhall on the Electoral Act 2026.

“The IREV Portal will be a checkmate to election rigging,” the Anambra Central lawmaker said at the event in Abuja.

Electoral Act 2026 Still Contains Loopholes — Ex-INEC Official

A Professor of Political Science and former electoral commissioner, Okechukwu Ibeanu, has warned that Nigeria’s amended electoral legal framework still contains gaps that could undermine the country’s democratic process.

Ibeanu made the remarks while delivering a keynote address at a Citizens’ Townhall, a policy dialogue on electoral reforms in Abuja, where he urged citizens to take greater responsibility in safeguarding democracy.

He said Nigerians often place excessive faith in legislation as the sole solution to electoral challenges, noting that overreliance on legal frameworks without institutional and civic reforms may not yield the desired outcomes.

“I think there are still gaps and loopholes in the law, and it’s unfortunate that it took us debating about a proviso for the country to come to a consensus that electronic transmission was actually in the 2022 act. But what we have done is actually to take us far back to 2018, where those debates were held in this country.

“We consistently tinker with the electoral legal framework as if that holds all the answers to our electoral problems. But more importantly, we hand the process of amending the Act to politicians, the same people the law is meant to regulate,” he said.

READ ALSO: 2027: INEC To Conduct Mock Presidential Poll

Frequent Amendments 

The professor stated that Nigeria’s electoral law has been repealed and re-enacted multiple times, alongside several amendments, a pattern he described as unhealthy for a stable democracy.

“Amendment and repeal of the law should be its medicine, not its daily bread,” Ibeanu stated, warning that constant alterations risk turning reforms into tools for political calculation rather than safeguards for voters’ rights.

He added that persistent changes to the law could lead to provisions designed primarily to serve political interests rather than to protect citizens’ votes.

Ibeanu also cautioned against excessive regulatory oversight of political parties by the electoral commission, likening it to a “military regime spectre” if not carefully balanced with democratic principles.

Emphasising civic responsibility, he urged Nigerians to become more actively involved in defending their votes and holding leaders accountable.

“Citizens, this is about you. It is not about politicians; it is not about INEC.
Except citizens are in a position to protect their votes and control those who ostensibly represent them, our dream of a truly democratic country will remain an illusion,” he said.

The political scientist further called for a detailed review of specific provisions of the electoral law, including Sections 50, 60, and 62, urging the electoral body to issue clearer regulations and guidelines to remove ambiguities.

Electoral Act

Nigeria recently updated its electoral system after President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law on February 18, 2026, replacing the 2022 legislation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Key provisions of the new law include: Mandatory electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), new timelines for election notices and candidate nominations, revised methods for party primaries, and earlier release of funding for the electoral commission.

Manual Results Transmission Option In Electoral Act Not An Issue, Says NSE ICT Head

The Head of ICT at the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Oluwadara Oluwalana, sees no issue with the manual backup for the transmission of results in the Electoral Act 2026. 

Oluwalana said this on Sunday at the Citizens’ Townhall on the 2026 Electoral Act, citing other countries that adopted a similar measure.

READ ALSO: Electoral Act 2026 Still Contains Loopholes — Ex-INEC Official

“I would also like to speak about the manual part of the process. It should not be an issue. I think we should be looking at how we solve the disputes that arise. For example, as Senator Umeh mentioned, how do we resolve these disputes when they happen?

“When India started real-time elections, they had to re-incorporate manual backups because a lot of disputes came up. As you saw with the technology recently, where the ‘glitch’ necessitated a change, we have simply made provisions for everything.

“Our focus now should be: how do we move forward? How do we ensure we resolve the issues that emerge between the IReV (INEC Result Viewing Portal), the BVAS, and the manual records? I believe we have the right technology to try it out in this election.”

Troops Repel Multiple Attacks In Borno, Recover Arms, Armed Drone

Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have foiled coordinated attacks by suspected ISWAP fighters on Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in Borno State, recovering arms and an armed drone in the process.

The affected locations include FOB Mayanti, Gajigana and Gajiram, as troops intensified offensive operations across Sector 2.

The Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

According to him, “the terrorists launched the attack between the late hours of 28 February and early hours of 1 March 2026, underscore the growing desperation of terrorist elements under sustained pressure on their enclaves, logistics corridors and leadership structures.”

READ ALSO: Four Suspects Arrested As NSCDC Busts Illegal Arms Fabricating Factory In Katsina

He added that while the attack on Gajigana was successfully repelled with troops maintaining full control of their position, the encounters at Mayanti and Gajiram resulted in significant terrorist casualties and the recovery of combat equipment.

“At about 2300 hours on 28 February 2026, FOB Mayanti came under heavy attack by a large number of terrorists. Gallant troops held firm despite intense enemy fire, as reinforcements fought through ambush and IED threats to rout the attackers,” he said.

“Exploitation confirmed five terrorist corpses and the recovery of three PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, two RPG-7 tubes, four AK-47 rifles, two FN rifles, three RPG bombs and large quantities of 7.62mm ammunition, with blood trails indicating additional casualties, sadly an officer paid the supreme price.”

Lt. Col. Uba further revealed that at about 0115 hours on 1 March 2026, terrorists armed with PKT guns, RPGs and armed drones attacked FOB Gajiram but were repelled by troops supported by air assets.

Three terrorist bodies were recovered along the withdrawal route, alongside four AK-47 rifles, five anti-tank bombs, three locally fabricated mortar bombs, one armed drone, six fully loaded 7.62mm NATO magazines, barbed wire cutters, specialised ammunition, poisoned arrows and other items abandoned while fleeing. One wounded soldier was airlifted by a Nigerian Army Aviation helicopter for advanced medical care.

He added, “Additionally, during an ambush around Bulturam Corner and Dadingel in Gujba LGA, troops neutralised two terrorists and recovered two AK-47 rifles, four AK-47 magazines, a bicycle and other sundry items. All locations remain firmly under own control, and the scale of recoveries and confirmed enemy losses further underscores the degrading combat capacity of ISWAP elements.”