By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Political parties and security agencies have recorded the poorest performance in Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, raising concerns over electoral credibility and public confidence.
The October 2026 Stakeholder Performance Scorecard of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR) Electoral Accountability Tracker (SEAT) rated political parties 1 out of 5 and security agencies 2 out of 5
The assessment documented 60 election-related incidents in October 2026, including attacks and disruptions of political activities.
It evaluated eight stakeholder groups: the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties, security agencies, the National Assembly, the judiciary, the Presidency and Federal Government, civil society organisations and the media.
The scorecard described Nigeria’s overall electoral preparedness as moderate and fragile.
In a statement emailed to PerSecondNews, election and democracy expert, Austin Aigbe, said operational preparations were advancing, but public confidence remained a major challenge.
He commended INEC for commencing Permanent Voter Card collection, displaying the preliminary voter register and establishing an Artificial Intelligence Division.
However, he identified delays in online publication of the voter register and concerns over AI-generated images as threats to confidence in the electoral process.
“INEC must therefore move beyond assurance to demonstrable accountability. This requires an independent and transparent audit of the voter register,” he stated.
He also called for a publicly accessible framework regulating AI use in electoral operations, clear protocols for identifying manipulated content and greater transparency in procurement processes.
Aigbe expressed concern over political parties’ weak internal democracy, opaque membership registers and disputes surrounding candidate emergence.
He called for credible membership registers, transparent primaries and enforceable commitments to non-violent campaigns, urging parties to deploy trained agents across polling units and all levels of results collation.
On security, he warned that attacks and disruptions of political activities showed that electoral preparedness must go beyond election-day deployments.
“Security agencies must recognise the central obligation of their mandate in this electoral cycle: protecting political rights, not political interests,” he noted.
He called for preventive intelligence, community-based early warning systems, impartial protection of political actors and accessible complaints mechanisms for investigating and sanctioning electoral violations.
The scorecard rated the National Assembly 3 out of 5, with an improving trend, while the judiciary also scored 3 but remained static. The Presidency and Federal Government scored 2 out of 5.
Civil society organisations recorded the highest rating of 4 out of 5, with an improving trend, while the media scored 3 out of 5, also improving.
Aigbe urged the National Assembly to strengthen oversight of electoral spending and INEC appointments, conduct public hearings on election readiness and ensure that proposed policing reforms include safeguards against political abuse.
He also called for timely judicial decisions on pre-election disputes and urged civil society and the media to intensify election monitoring, digital verification and voter education.
According to him, November should produce measurable corrective actions, warning that Nigeria’s 2027 elections would ultimately be judged by whether citizens believed the results reflected their freely expressed choices.
“Trust cannot be manufactured through technology, messaging, or public relations. It is earned through verifiable transparency, impartial security, accountable institutions, and respect for the right of every Nigerian to participate freely and without fear,” he emphasized.
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