By George Ozalla
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against technical glitches, unexplained delays and manipulation of the electoral process, insisting that Nigerians would not accept any attempt to undermine their votes in the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), gave the warning while addressing the ADC National Youth Leadership Summit in Abuja, where he described the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election as an important test of Nigeria’s preparedness for credible elections ahead of the 2027 polls.
He urged INEC to ensure that election materials arrived at polling units on time and that eligible voters were allowed to cast their ballots without obstruction, intimidation or unnecessary delays.
The former vice-president expressed concern over the level of security deployment ahead of the Osun election, arguing that the scale and posture of the operation appeared more suited to a military engagement than a democratic exercise.
He cautioned security agencies against intimidating opposition supporters or allowing state institutions to be used to influence the outcome of the election.
“Elections are civil engagements, not military operations. Ballot papers are not bullets. Voters are not enemy combatants. Opposition members are not insurgents,” Atiku said.
He questioned why the security agencies could deploy such a large presence around an election while terrorists, kidnappers and bandits continued to attack communities and kill Nigerians.
Atiku maintained that the police, military and INEC belonged to the Nigerian people and must operate in the interest of the country rather than serve the political interests of any party.
“The police belong to Nigeria. The military belongs to Nigeria. INEC belongs to the Nigerian people. None of them belongs to the APC,” he said.
He called on INEC to conduct the Osun governorship election in a manner that would demonstrate its independence and reassure Nigerians that the commission was prepared to protect the integrity of the 2027 general elections.
The ADC presidential candidate specifically warned the commission against technical failures or administrative problems that could disrupt voting, delay accreditation or create doubts about the credibility of declared results.
He said voters must be able to complete the accreditation process, cast their ballots and have their votes counted and transmitted transparently.
Atiku’s warning comes amid continuing concerns over the use of technology in Nigerian elections, particularly following the difficulties experienced during the 2023 general elections when the electronic upload of presidential election results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) did not proceed as many Nigerians had expected.
The controversy surrounding the 2023 presidential election results intensified public demands for more reliable technology, transparent procedures and clear explanations whenever technical problems arose during elections.
Atiku has also raised separate concerns about the reliability of INEC’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the 2027 elections.
On August 11, 2026, he called for an independent and comprehensive audit of the devices following reports of technical problems during a mock accreditation exercise conducted on August 1 ahead of the Osun governorship election.
The former vice-president questioned the commission’s continued use of Android 10 on BVAS devices, noting that the operating system had reached the end of its support life in 2023.
He warned that running election technology on outdated software could expose the devices to security vulnerabilities and operational failures, with possible consequences for voter accreditation and the transmission of election results.
Atiku urged INEC to subject the devices to an independent examination covering their hardware, software, source code and security architecture before the 2027 elections.
He also raised concerns about the electronic transmission of polling-unit results through public telecommunications networks, arguing that election technology required regular upgrades and independent scrutiny to protect the process against possible interference.
At the Abuja summit, Atiku urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to take a more active role in politics rather than limit their participation to expressing dissatisfaction on social media.
He said the country needed greater youth participation in political parties and elective offices, pledging that his political programme would provide opportunities for younger candidates.
Atiku said at least 30 per cent of legislative candidates under the programme would be below 40 years, with a significant number below 30.
“Anger is not an organisation. A hashtag is not an organisation. Your time is not tomorrow. Your time is now,” he told the young participants.
He maintained that the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend on INEC’s ability to conduct a transparent process, free from intimidation, technical failures and interference by political interests.
“The world is watching Osun. Nigerians are watching. History is taking notes. Let the people vote. Let every vote count. And let the will of the people prevail,” Atiku said.
