NEDO Plans 4,000 Observers, AI Monitoring for 2027 General Election

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

With public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process under pressure and shaky, five civil society organisations have unveiled plans to deploy more than 4,000 observers and use artificial intelligence to scrutinise results and document irregularities during the 2027 general election.

The initiative, under the Nigeria Election Data Observatory (NEDO) Consortium, is designed to strengthen independent monitoring of voting, result collation and transmission, while enabling participating organisations to cross-check electoral information and expose discrepancies.

The consortium, comprising Dataphyte Foundation, Yiaga Africa, BudgIT Foundation, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), and DEAN Initiative, was launched in Abuja yesterday.

At the heart of the initiative is a shared data platform that will combine information from election observers, media organisations and technology systems to build an independent evidence base against which official election information can be examined.

The platform will use artificial intelligence (AI)-powered optical character recognition (OCR) to convert result-sheet images published on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) into machine-readable data, enabling the system to flag potential discrepancies for further verification.

Under the arrangement, figures recorded on result sheets can be analysed for inconsistencies, including discrepancies between votes recorded and relevant voter figures. The system is also designed to identify errors ranging from typographical mistakes to potentially serious irregularities.

The consortium said the technology would support the identification and documentation of questionable figures as result sheets are uploaded, rather than leaving discrepancies to emerge only after the collation process.

The initiative came against the backdrop of persistent concerns about electoral credibility. A September 2026 national voting intentions survey by Yiaga Africa found that only 34 per cent of respondents expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct credible elections.

Speaking on behalf of the consortium, Dataphyte Foundation Country Director, Oluseyi Olufemi, said NEDO was established to address fragmentation in election observation, civic data management and information sharing among organisations working to protect electoral integrity.

The consortium said the difficulties surrounding IReV during the 2023 general elections had demonstrated the importance of coordinated civic resources capable of consolidating observation data and independently checking electoral information.

With more than 4,000 observers planned for the 2027 elections, the initiative will draw on participating organisations’ networks, including Yiaga Africa’s Watching The Vote observers, to document voting, electoral incidents, collation, and results.

Information gathered from the field will be compared with official results and other available evidence to help identify inconsistencies, verify competing claims and provide a stronger basis for public reporting.

CJID will also connect the initiative to participating newsrooms and fact-checking networks, enabling journalists to seek corroboration from observers in relevant locations before publishing claims about electoral incidents.

The consortium said the arrangement would help counter misinformation and conflicting reports while giving the media access to a broader body of independently gathered evidence.

It also unveiled the NEDO App, through which field observers will document developments throughout the electoral process. Dataphyte Foundation Programme Manager, Abdulahi Adebayo, said the application would feed information into a shared evidence repository for analysis, reporting, visualisation, advocacy and public communication.

However, the consortium acknowledged that the technology itself would require protection against deliberate interference. It said it was working on transparency, accountability and auditing mechanisms, including engagement with INEC on technical glitches and system integrity.

The initiative will also include pre-election surveys and assessments led by DEAN Initiative to examine electoral preparedness, citizens’ perceptions and emerging risks. Findings will inform a National Election Readiness Report, regional briefs, and periodic situation reports.

After the elections, the consortium plans to analyse its evidence alongside official results and publish a post-election report, with relevant data made available for research, advocacy, and electoral reform.