Technology can't guarantee electoral credibility - former INEC chairman, Yakubu

Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says that technology has strengthened electoral transparency, but it cannot by itself guarantee credibility.

Yakubu stated this in the forward of a newly released report: Election Management in Nigeria: 2015–2025 (INEC, July 2025).

“Technology can only complement integrity, not replace it,” he said. “The Commission must continue to build confidence, expand inclusivity, and stay ahead of threats to the conduct and management of elections.”

Beyond technology, the report identified electoral violence, vote-buying, logistics failures, and conflicting court orders as persistent obstacles to credible elections.

It also notes attacks on INEC facilities and threats to personnel across several states.

According to the report, digital tools significantly improved voter verification and transparency but were still constrained by human, technical, and institutional challenges.

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which authenticates voters using fingerprints and facial recognition, curbed multiple voting and impersonation but struggled with poor network connectivity and technical hitches in several polling units.

Similarly, the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), designed to publish real-time results from polling units, faced backlash during the 2023 presidential election when uploads were delayed — a situation INEC later attributed to “technical glitches and server synchronisation issues.”

As preparations begin for the 2027 general elections, analysts argue that BVAS and IReV remain crucial but insufficient.

They insist that Nigeria’s electoral future depends on political will, institutional accountability, and respect for due process as much as on digital innovation.

BVAS and IReV have shown what technology can achieve; Nigeria’s next task, experts say, is proving what integrity can sustain.

Ruth Tene Natsa

Ruth Tene, Assistant Editor, Agric/Solid Minerals/INEC Ruth Tene is an award-winning journalist with over 15 years experience in developmental reporting across several newsrooms, as a reporter, editor and other managerial roles. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Maiduguri among several other certifications She has attended several trainings and certifications both locally and internationally and has been recognized for her impactful work in humanitarian reporting, receiving the Gold Award for Humanitarian Services from the Amazing Grace Foundation. She is also a recipient of the Home Alliance Fellowship, reflecting her commitment to fostering a more humane, safer and more sustainable planet. An active member of professional journalism bodies, Ruth is affiliated with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and the Agricultural Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN), where she continues to advocate for excellence, ethical reporting, and development-focused journalism.