2027: Is It INEC You Want To Wait For? – Rufai Oseni Urges Nigerians To Monitor Results

Nigerian journalist, Rufai Oseni, has urged Nigerians to use independent mechanisms to collate, monitor, and cross-check results during the 2027 general election.

Naija News reports that Oseni, during Arise Television’s Morning Show on Wednesday, recalled the controversy surrounding the 2023 Adamawa State governorship election, when the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari, announced a result before the collation process was completed.

According to him, Nigerians should not rely solely on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for election results.

He urged Nigerians to monitor results as they are uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal and establish their own monitoring and collation stations to document the figures.

Oseni cited the glitch experienced on the IReV platform during the Osun State election as an example of why citizens should independently monitor election results.

He called on INEC to upload all relevant result forms, including Forms EC8A, EC8B, and EC8C, to the IReV portal so voters and observers can independently verify results.

Rufai Oseni noted that independent monitoring would also enable Nigerians to identify discrepancies between results uploaded by INEC and figures obtained from other sources.

He said, “Please, every Nigerian, monitor the results. The only difference is that you can’t announce it as an official. Monitor the results. Set up your own election monitoring station, collation station, where, if possible, as it is dropping on IReV, you are gathering the data and appending your results. Please do it.

“How did we know that a glitch had occurred in Osun State if people were not monitoring results? It was because people spotted the glitch when IReV failed again, and people quickly said they stopped IReV, and people ran there, and something was done about it.

“That’s why we are begging, all the Form EC8A, EC8B, EC8C should be on the IReV so that Nigerians can see and compare results.

“If they didn’t compare what’s on the IReV, how would they know that the vote some Peter Obi got in Rivers was more than what President Tinubu got based on BBC Court? Monitor the result.

“Is it INEC? You want to wait for INEC that one of its own independent officers went to and they announced fake result. Binani announced herself, was giving speech on NTA. Don’t deceive yourself. Politics must follow common sense and sensibility.”

Oseni also clarified that independent monitoring does not mean that citizens can officially declare election results, noting that the power to make the final declaration remains with INEC.

He further urged INEC to make its election protocols public, particularly as the commission considers using artificial intelligence in future elections.

He added, “It’s only INEC that can declare the result. But to monitor, to have your own, to cross-check, to do a report based on your own analysis, it is also done.

“You can also peer review an INEC result. Final declaration is for INEC. That’s what we are saying.”