El-Rufai Urges INEC to Fully Embrace Electronic Voting and Result Transmission for 2027 Elections

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adopt electronic voting and real-time transmission of results for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

Speaking on September 5, 2025, at an interactive session titled “Moving Forward Together” in Owerri, El-Rufai argued that Nigeria should move away from election systems vulnerable to human manipulation.

Drawing from Kaduna State’s successful local government elections in 2018 and 2021, where electronic voting was deployed, he stressed that INEC has ample time to roll out the necessary infrastructure nationwide ahead of the next general elections.

“Can we not agree to bid farewell to electoral malfeasance and its appearance by adopting electronic voting and real-time transmission of results to collation points without interference?” El-Rufai asked. “I see no compelling argument or insurmountable barrier to implementing this system for the 2027 elections.”

He explained that electronic voting machines can be programmed to identify and verify voters, provide a verifiable paper trail, automatically shut down at the close of voting, print results at polling units for stakeholders, and securely transmit results to collation centers.

El-Rufai emphasized that this move would enhance democratic stability and eradicate electoral fraud. He recalled that during his tenure, the ruling party accepted losses in some councils under the electronic voting system, underscoring that political will remains the key obstacle to nationwide adoption.