Technology and telecommunications stakeholders have raised concerns over the possible impact of poor connectivity, cybersecurity threats, misinformation and weak digital infrastructure on the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The stakeholders said urgent steps must be taken to address the challenges, warning that gaps in electoral technology and infrastructure could weaken public confidence in the election process.
They spoke at the Nigeria eGovernment Summit 2026 in Lagos, where discussions focused on the theme, “Mainstreaming Technologies in Nigeria Election Management.”
The stakeholders also called for sustained investment in electoral technology, stressing that systems supporting elections should be continuously maintained and improved rather than treated as infrastructure that only receives attention every four years.
Chairman of the Nigeria eGovernment Summit, Engr. Lanre Ajayi, said Nigeria had moved beyond the question of whether technology should be used in elections, adding that the priority should now be to make it a trusted and permanent part of the electoral system.
Ajayi said the country needed to move away from pilot projects and disputed deployments towards an electoral system where technology is properly integrated, trusted by citizens and capable of supporting the entire election process.
He warned that an election that lacks public trust could become more than a flawed process, as it could create a wider crisis of legitimacy.
According to him, the introduction of biometric voter registration, voter authentication and electronic transmission of results has significantly changed election administration in Nigeria. However, he noted that infrastructure limitations, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and low levels of digital literacy continued to pose challenges to public confidence.
The President of the Internet Society Nigeria Chapter, Engr. Kunle Olorudare, represented at the event by Mrs. Gbemisola Esho, also identified technology resilience, digital rights and information integrity as essential to credible elections.
Olorudare said the country must carefully assess the resilience, security and capacity of electronic voting and data transmission systems to ensure that no polling unit is excluded because of technological or connectivity failures.
He also stressed the need to protect citizens’ digital rights, privacy and online freedoms, saying technology should help citizens participate in the electoral process rather than leave some people behind.
The Internet Society Nigeria Chapter further raised concerns about the spread of fake news and misinformation, which it said could create confusion and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
It called for stronger tools and frameworks capable of authenticating information and helping citizens distinguish credible election-related information from false or misleading claims.
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, meanwhile, emphasised that reliable telecommunications infrastructure would be critical to the successful use of technology during the 2027 elections.
ATCON President, Tony Emoekpere, said meaningful digital transformation could not take place without dependable connectivity, noting that telecommunications infrastructure supports digital platforms, electronic transactions and the real-time exchange of information.
He called for closer cooperation between the Independent National Electoral Commission, government agencies, telecommunications operators, technology providers, infrastructure companies and security agencies.
According to him, such collaboration would allow stakeholders to identify and address weaknesses in the systems that will support the elections before voters go to the polls.
Emoekpere said the central issue was trust, noting that citizens must have confidence in the technology, political actors must trust the electoral process, while election administrators must be able to rely on the infrastructure supporting their operations.
He also warned that as more aspects of elections become digital, cybersecurity and data protection must be treated as key elements of election integrity rather than issues to be considered after the technology has been deployed.
The stakeholders therefore urged relevant authorities to begin sustained preparations for the 2027 elections through regular testing of electoral systems, investment in infrastructure and the development of local technical expertise.
They maintained that building a dependable digital election system would require continuous attention, collaboration and investment long before election day.
