Group to deploy over 4,000 observers, technology for 2027 elections

The Nigeria Election Data Observatory, a consortium of five civil society organisations, says it will deploy more than 4,000 observers to monitor the 2027 general elections.

Oluseyi Olufemi, Country Director, Dataphyte Foundation, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the unveiling of NEDO and its civic technology application ahead of the elections.

The consortium comprises Dataphyte Foundation, YIAGA Africa, BudgIT Foundation, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development and the Development of Educational Action Network Initiative.

Olufemi said the observers would provide real-time information on electoral administration, incidents, voting, collation and results across the country.

He said the information would be collected through the NEDO Civic App, which would enable observers to document electoral processes for a shared evidence repository.

According to him, information from field observers would be consolidated, cross-checked and analysed alongside results published by the Independent National Electoral Commission to support public reporting.

He said NEDO would use Application Programming Interfaces and other data-sharing tools to connect field observations, official election results and independent media networks.

By connecting field observations, official election results and independent media networks, NEDO will strengthen the capacity of journalists and civil society organisations to report on electoral developments using credible and verifiable evidence,” he said.

Olufemi said the consortium would also deploy artificial intelligence-powered Optical Character Recognition technology to convert images of election result sheets obtained from INEC’s Result Viewing Portal into machine-readable data.

“This allows us to organise, analyse, and distribute electoral information for use on interactive election-result platforms developed by consortium partners, including Dataphyte Foundation and BudgIT Foundation,” he said.

He said the initiative was important amid concerns about AI-generated misinformation, deepfakes, political intimidation and other challenges affecting the integrity of electoral information.

Olufemi said the 2023 general elections had exposed limitations in election information management, particularly concerns surrounding the transmission and publication of results on IReV.

“The challenges surrounding the INEC IReV, particularly during the transmission and publication of election results, called for the need for an independent, coordinated civic infrastructure,” he said.

He cited YIAGA Africa’s September 2026 National Voting Intentions Survey, which reported that only 34 per cent of respondents expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct credible elections.

Olufemi said NEDO would help citizens, journalists, researchers, electoral stakeholders and civil society organisations examine electoral information and make evidence-based assessments.

He added that pre-election surveys and situation assessments led by the DEAN Initiative would examine electoral preparedness, citizens’ perceptions, public confidence and emerging risks ahead of the polls.

Olufemi said the findings would inform a National Election Readiness Report, regional briefs and periodic situation reports.

He said the consortium would also analyse evidence gathered during the elections, compare relevant observations with official results and publish a post-election report.

He urged the media, civil society organisations, researchers, technology partners and other stakeholders to engage with NEDO to strengthen transparency, accountability and access to reliable electoral information ahead of the 2027 general elections.

NAN