The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that the commission is implementing concrete measures to prevent any disruption in the electronic transmission of results during the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Sunday at the Citizens’ Townhall on the Electoral Act 2026 in Abuja, Amupitan said INEC is determined to correct the technical shortcomings that trailed the 2023 presidential election.
He expressed confidence that improved preparations and rigorous system testing would guarantee seamless transmission of results across the country.
“The glitch is eliminated; by God’s grace, it will not surface in Nigeria,” the INEC chairman said, adding that while delays were recorded in some previous elections, there was no outright transmission failure in other polls conducted by the commission.
Amupitan clarified that provisions in the amended electoral law allowing alternative collation methods are intended as safeguards rather than indications of anticipated system failure.
“It is just a proviso, a safety. If it fails, results must still be transmitted. But our determination is that it will not fail,” he stated.
Technology Testing and Lessons from 2023
The INEC chairman acknowledged that although the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was deployed in several off-cycle governorship elections before 2023, the nationwide scale of the presidential poll exposed gaps in stress-testing across states.
“Election anywhere in the world is now about technology, but before deploying any technology, it is important to test it thoroughly,” he said.
He disclosed that INEC plans to conduct a nationwide mock presidential exercise ahead of the 2027 elections to evaluate whether the result-transmission infrastructure can withstand the scale of a national vote.
According to Amupitan, while the commission is committed to significant improvements, perfection remains difficult given the complexity of Nigeria’s electoral logistics.
He stressed that network availability and infrastructure limitations, rather than the concept of electronic transmission itself, remain the principal operational challenges.
Despite these constraints, he assured Nigerians that the commission is working towards delivering a “near-perfect election,” emphasising that credible polls are “the lifeblood of democracy.”
2023 Controversy and Electoral Act Amendment
The debate over electronic transmission largely stems from the 2023 presidential election, when INEC failed to upload polling-unit results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time, citing technical issues linked to the BVAS system.
The delays triggered widespread allegations of manipulation and numerous legal challenges. However, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ultimately dismissed the petitions.
The 2023 presidential election results were officially declared on March 1, 2023. Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared winner, defeating Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who finished third.
Subsequent amendments to the Electoral Act, signed into law by President Tinubu in 2026, introduced a hybrid framework that permits electronic transmission while retaining manual result sheets as the legal basis for collation in the event of technical difficulties.
The reforms have attracted criticism from civil society groups such as Yiaga Africa and political actors including Peter Obi, who argue that loosening strict real-time transmission requirements could undermine transparency.
Nevertheless, INEC maintains that enhanced technology testing, improved logistical coordination and clearer legal provisions will help restore public confidence ahead of 2027.
As preparations gather momentum, the commission’s ability to deliver on its promise of seamless electronic transmission is likely to remain a defining benchmark for the credibility of Nigeria’s next general elections.
