Six civil society organisations have challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide verifiable evidence of its preparedness for the 2027 general election, demanding independent testing of its election technologies and proof that the result-upload problems experienced in 2023 have been resolved.
The organisations made the demand in an open memorandum ahead of INEC’s planned World Press Conference on preparations for the elections, urged the Commission to move beyond general assurances and demonstrate measurable progress in its operational planning.
The memorandum was endorsed by the Centre for Media and Society, International Press Centre, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, TAF Africa, The Kukah Centre and Yiaga Africa.
With the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, the groups said the period before the polls should be used to provide Nigerians with concrete evidence of the Commission’s readiness.
“INEC must move beyond general assurances and provide regular, verifiable evidence of operational readiness,” they said.
The organisations called on INEC to publish a dated readiness dashboard detailing election funding, procurement milestones, the delivery and storage of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, distribution arrangements and contingency plans for areas facing insecurity or infrastructure challenges.
They also urged the Commission to disclose its recruitment requirements, the number of election personnel to be engaged, training schedules, deployment plans and welfare arrangements for ad hoc staff. They further called for vacancies in key leadership and technical positions to be filled early to safeguard institutional capacity and ensure continuity in election preparations.
Election technology featured prominently in the memorandum, with the organisations demanding clarity on how the Electoral Act 2026 and INEC’s regulations and guidelines would govern voter accreditation, polling-unit result management, collation and publication of results, including the use of electronic Form EC8A.
They urged INEC to conduct stress tests on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing portal (IReV), with the results made publicly available for independent scrutiny.
The Commission was also asked to disclose fallback procedures for technology failures and establish clear audit trails for corrections and delayed uploads of election results.
Specifically addressing the difficulties associated with result uploads during the 2023 general election, the groups demanded that INEC publish verifiable evidence that the problem had been rectified. They added that the improvements should be independently assessed by election observers during the Commission’s planned mock accreditation exercise.
On voter access, the organisations called for the publication of guidelines on the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), including details of logistics and personnel deployment to prevent delays and possible disenfranchisement. They also asked INEC to clarify arrangements for downloadable voter cards and provide clear guidance on their applicability during the general election.
The memorandum also outlined responsibilities for political parties and candidates, security agencies, the media, the judiciary, community leaders and civil society organisations.
Political parties and candidates were urged to reject hate speech, ethnic and religious incitement, threats, coercion, vote buying and obstruction of lawful political activities. The groups also cautioned against the use of incumbency advantages to restrict opposition parties’ access to campaign venues, outdoor advertising and other shared resources, insisting that access should be governed by transparent and non-discriminatory rules applicable to all parties and candidates.
The organisations called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to publish a coordinated election-security framework detailing threat assessments, risk mitigation measures, command responsibilities, rules of engagement, protection for vulnerable communities and procedures for rapid response and complaints.
They stressed that security personnel must remain impartial and should not be used as instruments of partisan coercion.
The media was urged to provide equitable, issue-based coverage, distinguish journalism from sponsored content, verify viral claims before amplifying them and prominently correct errors.
Religious and community leaders were also asked to reject violence, exclusion and collective blame, while the judiciary was urged to resolve election disputes within stipulated timelines and promptly publish reasoned decisions.
The groups acknowledged that civil society organisations also had a responsibility to strengthen coordination in election observation and civic education, verify claims before advocacy and maintain independence and consistency in their reporting.
“We must demand from ourselves the same transparency, fairness and accountability we demand from public institutions,” the memorandum stated.
The organisations maintained that the credibility of the 2027 general election would depend substantially on decisions taken and preparations made before polling day.
They called on all institutions involved in the electoral process to specify their commitments, set clear timelines and provide Nigerians with the means to assess their progress.
