Don’t be deceived, monitor voting, results – Oseni warns Nigerians about 2027 poll

Arise TV Morning Show anchor, Rufai Oseni, has urged Nigerians to actively monitor the results of the 2027 general election and establish independent mechanisms to collate and cross-check figures.

Oseni made the call on Wednesday during Arise TV’s Morning Show, stressing that citizens should not rely solely on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for information on election results.

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

“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,” he said.

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.

“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,” he said.

He called on INEC to ensure that all relevant result forms, including Forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C, are uploaded to the IReV portal to enable voters and observers to independently verify results.

“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,” Oseni said.

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

“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,” he said.

Oseni also questioned whether Nigerians should rely entirely on INEC, citing 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.

“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,” he said.

He added: “Don’t deceive yourself. Politics must follow common sense and sensibility.”

Oseni, however, 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.

“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,” he said.

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