Nigerian Expert Calls for Independent Audit of INEC’s Election Technology
ABUJA — A prominent Nigerian electoral reform advocate has urged scepticism toward the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) use of technology, calling for a bipartisan audit of its systems ahead of future polls.
Dr. Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, made the recommendation during a Citizens Town Hall Meeting on the Electoral Act 2026 held in Abuja on Sunday. His comments reflect ongoing public discourse on electoral integrity following the 2023 general elections.
Amadi argued that confidence in INEC’s technological deployments should not be assumed. He pointed to the myriad of allegations and technical issues that marred the 2023 polls as a key reason for concern.
“We finished the 2023 election with so much allegations, so much issues,” Amadi stated. He criticised the National Assembly for failing to conduct a thorough, public inquiry into INEC’s performance. “The National Assembly did not conduct one public hearing; nobody was put on oath… to tell us what happened. That is shambolic!”
His central proposal is the establishment of a non-partisan audit commission to rigorously review INEC’s technology. This, he suggested, is a prerequisite for rebuilding public trust in the electoral process.
INEC has progressively integrated technology into Nigeria’s elections, most notably with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter verification and result transmission. While the commission has defended the systems as enhancing transparency and reducing rigging, persistent technical glitches and allegations of manipulation from opposition parties have repeatedly raised questions about their reliability and the commission’s administrative competence.
The Electoral Act 2022, a significant reform law, aimed to address some of these concerns by strengthening legal frameworks for technology use. However, Amadi’s critique suggests that legislative changes alone may be insufficient without an independent, forensic assessment of INEC’s operational capacity and technological integrity.
His call for an audit commission directly challenges both INEC and legislators to move beyond procedural reforms and address foundational questions of credibility. As Nigeria looks toward future electoral cycles, the debate over technology’s role and the need for independent verification is likely to remain central to national discussions on democratic consolidation.
The effectiveness of any such audit, analysts note, would depend on the political will to implement its findings impartially, a factor historically challenged in Nigeria’s electoral politics.
