CSOs demand ironclad anti-vote buying rules for 2027 polls

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Civil society and community-based organisations in Nigeria have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ramp up defences against vote buying and strengthen election technology as the 2027 general elections approach.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, leaders of groups coordinated by the Civil Society Organisations on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative (CSCHEI) stressed the need for urgent reforms to ensure transparent polls.

CSCHEI Director-General and National Project Convener Kunle Yusuff told reporters that “credible elections in 2027 would depend on transparency, accountability, and proactive reforms by the electoral umpire”.

He pushed for pre-emptive checks on INEC’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), saying the commission must “strengthen electoral technology and transparency” by conducting “early audits and stress-tests of IReV and BVAS/BVAR, publish results of mock tests, and establish fallback protocols for real-time transmission”.

He also called for INEC to “release a clean, auditable voter register 90 days before the election”.

Amid rising vote-buying and violence risks, the coalition demanded joint task forces and financial oversight. “Deploy joint INEC-security-CSO taskforces in flashpoint LGAs 30 days before the election. Work with EFCC, ICPC, and CBN to monitor suspicious campaign financing and enforce the ban on unauthorised party agents near polling units,” Yusuff stated.

Additional calls included merit-based ad hoc staff recruitment through a public portal, scenario-based training and prompt allowances. For inclusivity, they advocated more accessible polling for persons with disabilities and IDPs, as well as diaspora voting trials in five countries, alongside local-language voter education through community partners.

Yusuff warned that “Nigerians do not expect perfection, but they expect honesty, transparency, and visible effort to fix problems. INEC’s greatest risk in 2027 is not technology, but the perception that the outcome is predetermined before voting begins”.

The groups outlined their “Nigeria First” agenda, including candidate assessments and nationwide debates. “The summit will create a platform to assess candidates and manifestos based on capacity, integrity, and alignment with Nigeria’s needs, not party loyalty,” Yusuff explained.

Candidates, he said, “must explain how their manifestos address SDGs, climate action, climate financing, and how they will deliver democratic dividends quickly. Enough is enough of having professional destitute in office.”

They hailed National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu’s leadership, noting that more than 13,500 terrorists have been neutralised, 124,000 Boko Haram/ISWAP members have surrendered, 775 convictions have been recorded, while 11,250 hostages have been freed in Zamfara and Kaduna.

The coalition pledged collaboration for fair 2027 polls, with Yusuff affirming, “Our focus is clear: Nigeria First.”