Elochukwu Benjamin
Awka
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has urged electoral stakeholders to draw critical lessons from concerns surrounding the Osun governorship election, warning that the integrity of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections could be undermined if attention stops at the polling units.
RULAAC made the call on Saturday, in an electoral security advisory signed by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, referencing reflections by a former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Emeka Ononamadu, on today’s Osun Governorship Election.
Ononamadu, who served as REC in Enugu State, in the reflections, called for greater scrutiny of the entire electoral chain, especially security deployments, movement of election materials and collation, rather than placing automatic blame on INEC whenever something goes wrong.
Highlighting the critical role security agencies, particularly the police, in election security, the former REC raised concerns over the lack of verifiable police deployment lists, which can make it difficult for INEC officials and observers to know whether the security personnel at polling or collation centres are genuine and properly assigned.
Aligning with Ononamadu’s views, the RULAAC ED, Nwanguma said the electoral process does not end when voters cast their ballots, stressing that the movement of results and election materials through counting, transportation and collation remains vulnerable to manipulation.
He insisted that the former REC’s reflections deserve serious attention because they offer an insider’s perspective on weaknesses within Nigeria’s electoral system, particularly events that occur after voting.
According to RULAAC, the electoral chain runs from the polling unit to the ward, Local Government Area, state collation centre and ultimately declaration of results, with each transition presenting a potential point of vulnerability.
It expressed concern over allegations that political actors could, after monitoring voting trends, exploit or manufacture insecurity to disrupt counting or force the relocation of collation.
While noting that such allegations require verification, RULAAC said the possibility underscores the need for greater vigilance ahead of the 2027 elections.
The group said whenever security concerns are cited as justification for relocating or interrupting collation, stakeholders must be able to establish who identified the threat, who assessed it, who authorised the relocation, where election materials were taken and whether party agents and accredited observers were allowed to accompany them.
Agreeing that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must not automatically be blamed for every electoral infraction, the group stressed that the commission must not be absolved where evidence establishes its responsibility.
It said the central question in investigating electoral incidents should be: “Who did what, at what stage, with what authority, and with what effect on the integrity of the election?”
“Electoral misconduct could involve political actors, electoral officials, security personnel or combinations of them, making evidence-based accountability essential.
“Whenever election results or materials are moved under security protection, the security chain should be properly documented to ensure accountability,” Nwanguma said.
Looking ahead to 2027, RULAAC urged civil society organisations and election observers to expand their monitoring beyond polling units to include the movement and custody of election materials, security deployments, claims of violence used to disrupt or relocate collation, access of party agents and observers to collation centres, discrepancies between results at different stages, and the identities of officials and security personnel making critical decisions.
The organisation said the Osun experience should not be allowed to become another post-election lament but should instead serve as an early warning for the 2027 elections.
It called for an electoral system in which every critical actor is identifiable, every major decision is documented, every result is traceable and every alleged abuse is independently investigated.
“We urge the INEC, security agencies, political parties, candidates, election observers, civil society organisations and the media to remain vigilant throughout the entire electoral chain.
“Protecting Nigeria’s democracy in 2027 would require stakeholders to protect the voter, protect the ballot, protect the result and protect the chain of custody.
“Do not stop watching when voting stops,” RULAAC warned.
