INEC and the Integrity Question: Can We Trust the 2027 Electoral Process?
NITIZEN EDITORIAL · MAY 2026 · 6 MIN READ
The Independent National Electoral Commission carries a name that, for many Nigerians, has become ironic. "Independent" — from what, exactly? The INEC that conducted the 2023 general elections oversaw a process that generated more litigation, more controversy, and more citizen outrage than arguably any election in Nigeria's Fourth Republic history. The Supreme Court eventually upheld the presidential result. But a court's verdict on the legality of a process is not the same as a citizenry's confidence in its integrity.
As the country turns its attention toward 2027, the integrity of the electoral process is not merely a procedural question. It is the central question of Nigerian democracy. An election that citizens do not trust — regardless of its technical outcomes — corrodes the legitimacy of governance and deepens the disengagement that already plagues the republic.
"An election that citizens do not trust is not a democracy functioning. It is a democracy performing."
What Went Wrong in 2023
The 2023 presidential election was, by INEC's own design, supposed to be its most transparent ever. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was introduced to prevent the manipulation of voter accreditation. The INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) was launched with the promise of real-time upload of polling unit results — a measure designed to make result falsification visible and traceable.
Both innovations failed, or were failed, at critical moments. The IReV portal experienced what INEC described as technical difficulties during the critical early hours of result transmission. Many results appeared hours or days late. Discrepancies between polling unit results and collated figures were documented by domestic and international observers. INEC's own officials were arraigned in some states for alleged electoral malpractice.
The commission, under Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, maintained that the election was credible. The courts agreed, in the main. But credibility is not only a legal determination — it is a social one. And socially, the 2023 election left millions of Nigerians unconvinced.
The Road to 2027
What must change before 2027 to restore citizen confidence? Three things, at minimum: transparent technology, independent oversight, and civic preparedness.
On technology: INEC must not only deploy electronic systems but must demonstrate, through pre-election public testing and open-source verification, that those systems are tamper-resistant and reliably connected. The failure of IReV in 2023 cannot be excused a second time.
On oversight: The composition of INEC's leadership and its appointment process must be revisited. An electoral commission whose chair is appointed solely by the executive, without meaningful legislative or civil society oversight, cannot credibly claim independence. Electoral reform legislation that restructures this dynamic is an urgent democratic necessity.
On civic preparedness: NITIZEN exists, in part, to address this third dimension. A citizenry that understands the electoral process — that knows how to verify voter registration, identify polling units, document irregularities, and report violations — is a citizenry that is harder to disenfranchise. Electoral literacy is not a soft complement to structural reform. It is a structural reform in itself.
The 2027 elections are Nigeria's next defining democratic moment. Whether they represent progress or regression will depend significantly on what INEC, the political class, and citizens do between now and then. NITIZEN will be watching — and equipping Nigerians to watch too.
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