BIVAS, IReV, Electronic Transmission: Nigeria’s Battle For. In. On. 2027

Introduction

Nigeria’s democracy has always been narrated through acronyms. From Electoral Commission of Nigeria (ECN) to Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) to National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), each era has carried its own vocabulary of reform, promise, and disappointment. The language changes, the technology evolves, the institutions rebrand, but the people’s core demand remains painfully constant: a credible election. As 2027 approaches, the country once again finds itself rehearsing familiar anxieties, familiar hopes, and familiar battles over the tools meant to safeguard the vote.

The Long History of Electoral Jargon Without Justice

Since 1959, Nigeria has cycled through electoral commissions and their accompanying innovations. Every transition has been sold as the long‑awaited fix. Yet none of these reforms: whether structural, legal, or technological has delivered the free and fair elections Nigerians deserve.

The 2023 general election was marketed as the turning point. INEC’s leadership toured the country and the world, promising that INEC’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV) would guarantee transparency. These tools were presented as the antidote to ballot stuffing, result swapping, and collation‑centre manipulation. Nigerians believed, or at least hoped.

Then came the phrase that instantly entered the national lexicon of betrayal: “technical glitch.” With those two words, the credibility of the presidential results collapsed. Uploads failed. Results disappeared. Winners were declared without the public seeing the numbers. And when the opposition sought redress, they were told to “go to court”, the same courts that could not compel INEC to release the full data, logs, and materials needed to prove their case. The burden of proof became a burden of impossibility.

In a country where the ruling party often influences the institutions meant to check it, seeking justice can feel like embarking on a pilgrimage to a mythical Shangri‑La.

Why 2027 Is Already a Battlefield

The public now demands a legal mandate:

Every polling‑unit result must be electronically transmitted in real time.

Not later. Not after collation. Not “when the network stabilizes.”
And any result not transmitted immediately or excused by another “technical glitch” should be automatically invalidated.

The logic is simple.

1. BIVAS ensures that only accredited voters cast ballots.
2. IReV ensures that results are uploaded instantly, in the presence of party agents and observers.
3. Real‑time transmission prevents the age‑old practice of altering results between the polling unit and the collation centre.

These tools, if used faithfully, would close the loopholes that have enabled decades of electoral manipulation.

But technology alone cannot guarantee integrity. Institutions must be willing. Laws must be clear. Enforcement must be firm. And political actors must not be allowed to weaponize ambiguity.

The Politics of “For, In, On” 2027

The struggle is unfolding on three fronts:

• For 2027: Citizens and genuine opposition parties are fighting for a credible election. They want reforms codified into law, not left to INEC’s discretion or political goodwill.
• In 2027: The ruling party is already positioning itself in the political terrain, recruiting governors, mobilizing youth movements, and shaping narratives to blur the line between state power and party machinery.
• ‘On’ 2027: Many fear that on election day, the same old “abracadabra” may reappear: delayed uploads, compromised collation, and results that do not reflect the will of the people.

Nigeria has seen this pattern before. From “ballot boxes stuffing and snatching” to “voters-intimidation” to the rise of strongmen with megalo‑maniacal tendencies, electoral irregularities have repeatedly ushered in leaders who govern without a clear democratic mandate.

The Missing Pieces in the Conversation

Several critical elements often overlooked in public debate deserve attention:

Legal ambiguity

Current laws empower INEC to determine the mode of transmission. Without explicit statutory requirements, the commission can always cite discretion, or “glitches.”

Cybersecurity and infrastructure

Real‑time transmission requires secure servers, redundant networks, and transparent audit trails. Nigeria has not yet demonstrated the resilience needed to prevent internal sabotage or external interference.

Chain‑of‑custody protocols

Even with electronic transmission, physical result sheets remain crucial. Without strict custody rules, tampering can still occur.

Observer access

Domestic and international observers need guaranteed access to backend logs, transmission timestamps, and metadata, not just screenshots of results.

Civic education

Many voters still do not understand how BIVAS and IReV work, making it easier for political actors to manipulate narratives around “glitches” or “network failures.”

These gaps must be addressed if 2027 is to be different.

The Unresolved Question: Can INEC Deliver?

INEC is constitutionally mandated to be independent, transparent, and trustworthy. Yet public confidence remains low. The commission has not convincingly demonstrated that it can resist political pressure, enforce its own guidelines, or protect the integrity of its technology.

Until INEC proves that it is willing and able to conduct a credible election, Nigerians will continue to view every innovation, no matter how sophisticated as another acronym masking old problems.

Conclusion

Nigeria stands at a crossroads. The tools for credible elections exist. The public desire for transparency is overwhelming. The opposition is mobilizing. Civil society is vigilant. But the ruling party and the institutions it influences may prefer ambiguity to accountability.

The battle for, in, and ‘on’ 2027 is not merely about technology. It is about political will, institutional courage, and the collective insistence that democracy must mean more than slogans and acronyms.

If Nigeria gets 2027 right, it could mark a turning point in the nation’s democratic journey. If it fails, the cycle of distrust, disenfranchisement, and disillusionment will deepen.

The question remains: Will 2027 be the year Nigeria’s electoral acronyms finally translate into electoral integrity?