Is Nigeria ripe for e-voting?

As Nigeria inches towards the 2027 general election, attention is being shifted to the tinkering of the electoral law to enhance the election process,  especially the use of technology in conducting the exercise. While the country has in the past eight years adopted a minimal use of technology to identify the number of voters in […]

As Nigeria inches towards the 2027 general election, attention is being shifted to the tinkering of the electoral law to enhance the election process,  especially the use of technology in conducting the exercise.

While the country has in the past eight years adopted a minimal use of technology to identify the number of voters in a particular voting unit as well as transmit hard copies of results, this has not curbed most issues that ensure a credible outcome.

The lack of credibility in the elections has led to voter apathy. For instance, only 28.63 per cent, 25,286,616, of all eligible voters in Nigeria participated in the 2023 presidential election.

This is despite 87,209,007, 93.3 per cent, from the 93,469,008 registered voters, receiving their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

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As the country continues to spend billions of naira every four years to register new voters and print PVC for eligible voters, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says it has captured 114 million Nigerians into its identity database.

While the commission plans to increase the number to 150 million by the end of 2025, Nigerians with the National Identity Number (NIN) might surpass those on INEC’s voter’s register by the 2027 elections.

Already, NIN is used as the sole means for identification in the financial, educational, telecommunication and social sectors.

However, there is concern about the integration of the NIN into the electoral scheme because the election is viewed as a “do or die affair” by the top political actors.

Though technology has been integrated in election in the country with the use of smartcard readers in 2015 and subsequently, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IREV to make ensure transparency in the electoral process, the process to amend the law in accommodating technology is often fraught.

 

Prospect of e-voting

The founder of CODE, Hamza Lawal, said NIN lays a solid foundation for considering e-voting in Nigeria, but adopting it will require tackling infrastructural, technological, constitutional and political challenges.

He however noted that with the right advocacy and implementation, it could indeed mark a turning point for Nigeria’s democracy.

“With over 114 million Nigerians captured, the NIN provides a reliable database to ensure that each voter is uniquely identified. This reduces the risk of duplicate voting and strengthens the integrity of the electoral process. Also, NIN data can be integrated into biometric verification systems to authenticate voters during elections, ensuring only eligible citizens can vote.

“E-voting powered by the NIN can reduce opportunities for ballot stuffing, result tampering, and other forms of electoral fraud. A centralised, transparent system can instill trust in the process. Note that many Nigerians are discouraged by the logistical challenges of voting, such as long queues, insecurity at polling stations, or inaccessible locations. e-voting/early voting, especially remote voting, could address these barriers and encourage greater participation.”

“Also, e-voting, when implemented transparently, can significantly reduce vote rigging by automating key aspects of the election process. It also has the potential to boost voter turnout by making the process more accessible and less cumbersome,” he said.

He however said the success of e-voting depends on trust and if Nigerians see the system as secure, fair, and efficient, it could transform elections. “If not, it might deepen mistrust and exacerbate apathy,” he added.

Mboho Eno, a deputy director at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, said advocating for NIN to be the sole identifier for electoral process is as good as component cost by INEC for the election budget will be scrapped and save the country a lot of money.

 

What NIMC can do

The Director General of El-Kanemi Institute for Youth Leadership & Capacity Development LTD/GTE (NG), Adam Abatcha, said for the country to achieve e-voting, NIMC needs to upgrade its cyber infrastructure with state-of-the-art equipment to accelerate capturing, storage and smooth management of the NIN database.

He noted that the emphasis should be on the efficiency of the internet connection and the speed at which the cyber-system processes data.

“Also, the compatibility between the NIMC data-sending programme and the government agencies receiving it is an issue for critical consideration. Like NIS, CAC, CBN, and other agencies that share the NIN database, INEC has to join the queue. If this happens, INEC would be relieved from the encumbrances of inconsistency and manipulation of personal data during Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

“However, to effectively meet the request of voters for polling unit transfers and other issues that may arise, INEC should consider utilising the NIN database as a gateway and integrating an INEC-Voters interaction portal window. Centralising the NIN database would help INEC develop an authentic, eligible voter database, which would result in the credible organising of elections. For example, INEC can filter underage and multiple voting using software and a command language system,” he said.

He said other considerations that could be looked into, including registered voters’ ability to access the INEC portal to ensure their names are registered and would make possible an effective feedback system for receiving and responding to inquiries and complaints from voters in real time.

“Lastly, voters should be able to vote at any polling unit that is convenient for them. More so, online voting can be made more convenient, not only for eligible voters in Nigeria but also for diaspora voters,” he added.

 

Challenges

Hamza however identified major hiccups facing adoption of e-voting in the country which include infrastructure gaps as there is no reliable electricity, internet access, and technological infrastructure essential for e-voting. These remain inadequate in many parts of Nigeria.

“E-voting systems are vulnerable to hacking, data breaches, and manipulation. Safeguarding voter data and election results will require significant investment in cybersecurity.

“Many Nigerians, especially in rural areas, may lack the skills or access to participate in e-voting. A digital inclusion strategy will be critical. Political Will and Stakeholder Advocacy: Implementing e-voting requires buy-in from political actors, many of whom may resist changes that reduce opportunities for manipulation,” he added.

Also, Eno noted that there are worries about the allegations that foreigners have been registered in the NIN thus a thorough cleaning process is required for it to be used during elections.

“In terms of curbing rigging, I doubt it’ll. Except we are able to operate voting like an ATM card, whatever identification we use will still be subject to rigging because we have a political class that believes in getting power through whatever means possible. We also need a strong and truly independent electoral commission for rigging to be curbed,” he said.

 

What stakeholders should do

Despite this, Lawal believes stakeholder advocacy can push e-voting but it will take concerted efforts of advocacy groups, civil society organisations, and technology experts to build a coalition to push for electoral reforms.

He said it would include educating the public and policymakers on the benefits of e-voting; highlighting success stories from other countries that have adopted it and pressuring INEC and the government to pilot e-voting in smaller elections before scaling up.

 

INEC up to task with its database – official

But INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Sam Olumekun, said the commission has its own robust database and wouldn’t need that of NIMC if the law is approved.

Olumekun explained that e-voting is not an activity that can be rushed into as it involves many considerations.

“For electronic voting, we have the necessary infrastructure. Most of the things that are required are already in place. But then, as we speak, that’s not an issue that we want to go into for now. At the appropriate time, we will inform the public,” he said.

When asked if it could at any time exploit the database of NIMC to carry out elections in the country, he said, “INEC has a very robust database. We have a database of about 91 million Nigerians, as we speak, after the last count. That will not be a serious issue when we want to do e-voting. We wouldn’t need NIMC’s database. But as it happens in many other countries, there are countries where the responsibility of capturing the data of citizens is in the hands of one particular organisation.  So, the electoral body uses the database of such organisations. But as we speak today, INEC has its own database that is very robust.”

This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop