2027 Election: Ex-Minister Chidoka Reveals Why Rigging The Poll Will Be ‘Difficult

Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has said it would be difficult to rig the 2027 general elections if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts the polls using a process similar to the recently concluded Osun State governorship election.

Chidoka made the statement on Monday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The former minister, who is Chancellor of the non-partisan think tank Athena Centre, argued that election rigging had become outdated and urged Nigerian political leaders to abandon the practice.

According to him, the only way the 2027 election could be rigged would be if the election itself was not held.

“The only way to rig the election in 2027 is not to conduct it.”

Chidoka explained that if INEC maintains the same electoral process used in Osun, independent organisations would be able to track and collate results from polling units and wards across the country.

He said the Athena Centre would be prepared to deploy thousands of people to monitor and collate results, even if technological systems encountered problems on election day.

“If you conduct it with this (Osun) process, by 7 we at Athena Centre will be giving you results state by state, how many have been uploaded and what the scores are, we will tell you that.”

Chidoka also argued that political leaders should no longer rely on electoral manipulation, saying Nigeria had moved beyond the era when elections could easily be rigged without scrutiny.

“Election rigging is old, it’s not something any leader does. Don’t they feel ashamed when they meet other world leaders and you come with a tainted mandate? No, that has gone.”

Reflecting on the Osun governorship election, the former minister said some individuals who allegedly planned to manipulate the poll were unaware of how significantly election monitoring had evolved.

He noted that organisations including YIAGA Africa, Athena Centre and Dataphyte independently collated results during the election, allowing them to track figures from polling units and wards.

“They were sitting and waiting, they didn’t know the world had moved. YIAGA was already collating the results, Athena Centre was already collating the results, Dataphyte was already collating the results.”

Chidoka said the same level of monitoring could be replicated during the 2027 general elections if INEC allows its IReV results-viewing platform to function effectively.

He described the Osun election as another indication of Nigeria’s progress in electoral technology and commended INEC for its deployment of technology during the poll.

According to him, the combination of technology, voter participation and improved monitoring made it possible for citizens and election observers to follow developments more closely.

Chidoka also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the monitoring and collation of results during the Osun election.

“AI made it possible for us to aggregate the results in minutes.”

He said the successful use of technology during the election demonstrated how digital tools could make election monitoring faster, more transparent and more difficult to manipulate.