The International Republican Institute (IRI) has warned that vote-buying, insecurity and declining public confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The warning was contained in a report issued by IRI’s Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Nigeria, which visited the country from August 17 to 21, 2026, to assess preparations for the January 16, 2027 elections.
The mission, led by IRI President Daniel Twining and former US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Ambassador Jendayi Frazer, said economic hardship, insecurity and declining trust in political institutions posed major challenges to democratic participation.
It also cited terrorist attacks, violence against religious communities, intercommunal conflicts and ethnic tensions as continuing security concerns across parts of Nigeria.
According to the mission, the recent off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun were generally peaceful on Election Day, but violence during result collation, vote-buying and political violence exposed weaknesses in the electoral system.
The IRI said civil society monitors recorded more than 81 election-related violent incidents in Osun State during the year preceding the election, with violence increasing as the election approached.
The organisation urged INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and security agencies to investigate and prosecute credible cases of vote-buying and voter inducement.
It also called on political parties to hold their officials, agents and supporters accountable for electoral offences and recommended appropriate fines and criminal sanctions.
On election technology, the mission advised INEC to conduct stronger stress tests, mock elections and technical assessments of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
It said the tests should ensure that BVAS can reliably authenticate voters through fingerprints and facial recognition, including in areas with poor telecommunications connectivity.
The mission further urged INEC to establish clear procedures for dealing with communication failures and electronic results transmission problems, including situations where physical result sheets may be required for collation.
On security, the IRI recommended stronger protection for election officials, voters, candidates, party agents, observers, election materials and collation centres.
It also called for location-specific security plans and rapid-response teams in areas considered to be at high risk of violence.
The organisation warned political parties and candidates against spreading false information, manipulated election materials and AI-generated impersonations that could undermine public confidence or increase tensions.
It also urged INEC to improve its communication with the public and quickly counter false information surrounding the electoral process.
The mission said it consulted more than 65 stakeholders, including electoral officials, security agencies, political parties and civil society organisations, while also drawing on observations from analysts who monitored the electoral environment.
The IRI stressed that the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 elections would depend not only on effective electoral technology but also on transparent procedures, timely communication, adequate security and public confidence that the process is free, fair and impartial.
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