Tells INEC to prosecute vote buyers, stress-test BVAS
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: The International Republican Institute (IRI) has warned that vote-buying, insecurity and declining public trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pose significant threats to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
This is contained in a statement of findings and recommendations issued by IRI’s Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Nigeria’s 2027 General Elections, co-led by IRI President, Daniel Twining, and National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Board Member and former Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Ambassador Jendayi Frazer.
The mission, which deployed a team of experts from August 17 to 21, 2026, to assess the electoral environment and preparations for the January 16, 2027 general elections, said economic hardship, insecurity and declining confidence in political institutions posed significant challenges to holding elections in an environment conducive to meaningful democratic participation.
According to the statement, the security challenges include “terrorist attacks by Islamic militants, violence targeting Christian communities, intercommunal conflict targeting both Christians and Muslims, and broader ethnic tensions that have contributed to persistent insecurity across parts of the country.”
The mission noted that while the off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states were generally peaceful on Election Day, “violent disruptions during collation, persistent vote-buying and political violence exposed structural weaknesses that technical preparations alone cannot address.”
It disclosed that in Osun State, civil society monitors recorded more than 81 election-related violent incidents in the year preceding the election, with violence increasing as Election Day approached.
The mission warned that when voters and candidates lack confidence in their physical security, or voters cannot trust that their ballots will remain secret and free from political influence, improvements in election administration and legal safeguards would have limited effect.
On public trust, the mission identified confidence in INEC as one of the most consequential challenges facing the commission.
It said grievances over the management of the 2023 presidential election continued to shape perceptions of INEC, while uncertainty over the implementation of new electoral provisions could deepen distrust.
The mission said the credibility of a closely contested election would depend not only on sound technical administration but also on the transparent and consistent application of procedures, clear and timely public communication, and broad public confidence that the process is secure, credible and impartial.
On vote-buying, the mission recommended that INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and security agencies prosecute voter inducement and investigate credible allegations of vote-buying.
It said authorities should make clear that financial or material inducements were incompatible with legitimate political competition.
The mission also urged political parties to hold their officials, agents and supporters accountable for vote-buying, with national and state leadership communicating clear expectations down to local and polling-unit levels.
It recommended sanctions, fines and prosecution for civil and criminal offences linked to vote-buying.
On election administration, the mission recommended that INEC conduct more robust stress tests of its systems and mock elections to identify and resolve potential challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
It said the exercise should ensure that BVAS could accredit voters through fingerprint and facial recognition in various real-life settings, including areas with limited cellular connectivity.
The mission further recommended that INEC issue supplementary guidance defining “communication failure” and establishing a uniform procedure for documenting and resolving electronic results transmission failures, including circumstances in which the physical Form EC8A becomes the primary basis for collation.
On security, the mission said INEC and security agencies should prioritise the protection of election facilities, participants, materials, party agents and observer groups without restricting lawful access.
It called for particular attention to preventing intimidation and securing the movement of election results at collation centres.
The mission also urged the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to use existing threat assessments to identify areas where violence or insecurity could suppress participation or disrupt election administration.
It recommended the development of location-specific mitigation plans, including quick-response forces for high-threat areas.
On campaigning and information integrity, the mission warned political parties and candidates against producing or amplifying false information, manipulated electoral materials or AI-generated impersonations capable of undermining confidence or inflaming tensions.
It also urged INEC to strengthen timely and authoritative public communication to identify and correct false narratives.
The mission said it held consultations with more than 65 stakeholders, including electoral authorities, security agencies, political parties and civil society organisations.
It also drew on the work of two long-term analysts deployed in July and direct observation of the Ekiti and Osun off-cycle elections.
The mission said: “In the spirit of international support for democratic elections, this statement offers key findings and recommendations to Nigerian stakeholders to help strengthen the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.”
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