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The Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) has called on Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), to demand for a forensically-tracked mandatory public stress test of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s technology not later than six months before the 2027 elections with the results of the findings broadcast live.
CIFCFIN’s founder and Chairman, Governing Council, Dr. Iliyasu Gashinbaki, stated this in a statement to mark Nigeria’s Democracy Day on June 12, titled: “Democracy is not a gift – It must be forensically defended: A final warning before 2027 elections.”
He also called for pre-election forensic vetting of academic certificates, birth records and tax clearance certificates of candidates of political parties, long before the printing of ballot papers for the elections.
He assured that the Institute stands ready to help certify or authenticate the veracity of the process, adding: “Forensic analysts should be embedded within INEC’s results collation system to detect manipulations in real time.” “Forensic deep fake detection experts must be engaged to counter AI- generated disinformation designed to mislead voters as well as the courts. Forensic evidence is the only language a captured judiciary cannot easily ignore,” he said.
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Gashinbaki emphasized that the accusations being peddled against the current political class on the issue of massive rigging in the just concluded primaries of political parties; the allegation of building a one-party state; the attempt to capture the judiciary and the surreptitious attempt to compromise INEC – are not mere conspiracy theory.
According to him, the accusations are known pathologies of democratic collapse which could lead to a failed state if the allegations continue into 2027. “To ensure integrity, we demand mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results by INEC; a publicly forensically audited voters register, 90 days before voting; the immediate investigation by the National Judicial Council of judges who issue conflicting ex-parte orders; and a level playing field for all the 18 political parties that will be free from any form of perceived manipulation,” he advised.
He said without correcting the perceived problems, the 2027 elections will not appear credible. He also cautioned that the loopholes in the 2026 Electoral Act, specifically the sections that permit manual results tampering and delayed electronic transmission must immediately be repealed by the National Assembly, while the NJC should fast-track the investigation of judges suspected of political capture, and any judicial officer found to have issued orders sabotaging electoral timelines should face immediate suspension and prosecution.
