Civil Society Faults INEC’s New Results Validation System

The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room and 12 other civil society organisations have raised concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) new results validation system.

The groups warned that the process could undermine transparency, accountability and public confidence in the management of election results.

In a joint position on the electronic transmission and collation of election results, they faulted two new features introduced by INEC in its results management process.

The statement was signed by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Dataphyte, ElectHer, International Press Centre, Inclusive Friends Association, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, TAF Africa, TAP Initiative and The Kukah Centre.

The organisations said INEC’s 2026 Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections introduced an electronic EC8A (e-EC8A) on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), requiring polling officials to input result scores into the electronic form as part of a validation process.

They also expressed concern over a new backend validation process through which transmitted election results are reviewed before being published on the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV).

According to the groups, the Commission has not adequately explained the purpose of the new electronic EC8A or the backend validation process, raising questions about the integrity and transparency of the results-management system.

The civil society organisations said, “The backend validation is not visible to the public, polling agents or observers. The Commission is yet to provide a clear explanation on what is validated, who undertakes the review, or how long it should take.”

They also stated that the period between the transmission of results from polling units and their eventual publication on IReV could create uncertainty and weaken public confidence in the electoral process.

The groups further noted that the backend validation process had previously been discontinued by the former Commission because of concerns over its potential misuse and the possibility of result manipulation.

“Unexplained backend validation of transmitted results before publishing on the IReV raises significant transparency and accountability concerns.”

The organisations also questioned the introduction of the electronic EC8A, saying the 2026 Electoral Act provides for the transmission of election results to IReV, while the new regulations do not clearly establish where the results entered into the electronic EC8A are transmitted or what purpose they serve.

They warned that the introduction of the electronic form could result in multiple versions of the same polling-unit result existing within the system.

“Four versions of the same polling-unit result may exist: the physical EC8A, the scanned image uploaded to IReV which also remains on the BVAS, and the electronically transmitted e-EC8A,” they said.

The groups said the existence of multiple versions could create confusion, particularly where discrepancies occur, as the regulations do not clearly state which version would take precedence.

They consequently called on INEC to abolish the backend validation of transmitted election results before their publication on IReV, or subject the process to public and independent scrutiny.

They also urged the Commission to issue a comprehensive results-transmission protocol that would enable the public to understand the results-management process from beginning to end, warning that an electronic collation layer could provide advance information about electoral outcomes, which compromised officials could potentially exploit to influence the electoral process.

“The introduction of the electronic EC8A means that four versions of the same polling-unit result may exist,” the groups said.

They also said the forthcoming Osun State governorship election us a major test of INEC’s results-management system and urged the Commission to implement the recommendations as a demonstration of its commitment to transparency, accountability and electoral integrity.

“The forthcoming Osun election is a major test of the results-management process. The Commission should implement these recommendations as a demonstration of its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the integrity of the electoral process,” the groups said.