What INEC must do to ensure credible elections in 2027 – Okorie

An elder statesman and former presidential candidate, Chief Chekwas Okorie, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must explore all legitimate avenues to conduct free and credible elections in 2027. In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust yesterday, Okorie who founded the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and later the United Progressives Party (UPP), […]

An elder statesman and former presidential candidate, Chief Chekwas Okorie, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must explore all legitimate avenues to conduct free and credible elections in 2027.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust yesterday, Okorie who founded the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and later the United Progressives Party (UPP), said INEC must effect some necessary changes including ensuring the elections are transmitted directly from the polling units using technology.

Daily Trust reports that there is anxiety in the country as political parties and their supporters have started preparations for the 2027 elections. 

While some are of the opinion that the elections would be rigged, others believe that electoral reforms ahead of the polls could address the contentious issues and form the basis for free and credible elections.

Okorie said, “All eyes are on INEC to come up with the changes. And some of the changes we expect that will help resolve these types of complexities in the system is to, first of all, ensure that elections are transmitted directly from the polling units all over the country.

“In that regard, you bypass all these so-called intermediary collation centres where most of the riggings take place. Then the second one is to ensure that all elections are done in one day and there is no question of a glitch occurring in only one election when everything is done the same day.

“So wherever there is a glitch, the election will be redone instead of resorting to manual computation that will also bring about manipulation. The technology to do that is already in place, but Nigerians have to insist on it.”

He said, “The voters’ register is electronic, the voter’s card is electronic. We have the BIVAS, we have the IREV, and internet penetration is almost 95 to 100 penetration in the country. So there is no excuse to distort the process at any point in time. 

“If we do what I’m recommending in this interview, you will discover that there will be no need to use any thug, because the thug will have no ballot box to carry.”

Okorie, however, expressed worry over the activities of some politicians and their supporters in the country ahead of the 2027 elections, saying the trend must be halted in the interest of peace and democracy.

“I agree with those who say that if things continue like this, there could be anarchy. And if there is anarchy, nobody will benefit from it. It will bring down the house and it will fall on everybody’s head, so we must do everything to avoid it,” he said.