2027: Rufai Oseni Urges Nigerians to Monitor Voting and Results

Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni has urged Nigerians to actively monitor the voting process and independently track election results ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Oseni made the call on Wednesday during Arise TV’s Morning Show, urging citizens and civil society organisations to develop independent mechanisms for monitoring, collating and cross-checking results uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Results Viewing (IReV) portal.

He said Nigerians should not simply wait for official announcements but should document results from polling units and compare them with figures subsequently uploaded to IReV.

“Please, every Nigerian, monitor the results. The only difference is that you can’t announce it as an official,” Oseni said.

He encouraged citizens and organisations to establish election monitoring and collation stations where they could gather figures as results were uploaded and compare them with their own records.

According to him, such independent monitoring could help identify discrepancies and draw attention to potential irregularities during the electoral process.

Oseni Wants Result Forms Uploaded to IReV

Oseni also called on INEC to ensure that relevant election result forms are uploaded to the IReV portal.

He specifically mentioned Forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C, which cover different stages of the result collation process.

“That’s why we are begging, all the Form EC8A, EC8B, EC8C should be on the IReV so that Nigerians can see and compare results,” he said.

INEC's electoral guidelines provide for the validation and uploading of polling-unit Form EC8A results to the IReV portal.

Oseni pointed to the technical problems experienced on IReV during the 2026 Osun governorship election as an example of why independent scrutiny of uploaded results is important.

He also referred to the controversy surrounding the 2023 Adamawa governorship election, when then-Resident Electoral Commissioner Hudu Ari announced a result before the completion of the collation process.

Only INEC Can Declare Official Results

Oseni, however, distinguished independent monitoring from the official declaration of election results.

He acknowledged that the legal authority to declare the final results remains with INEC, while citizens can independently monitor, analyse and cross-check information available on the commission’s platforms.

“It’s only INEC that can declare the result. But to monitor, to have your own, to cross-check, to do a report based on your own analysis, it is also done,” he said.

His comments come as attention increases on electronic transmission, public access to result forms and transparency in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Electoral Act 2026 provides for electronic transmission of polling-unit results through IReV, further increasing the importance of the portal in the 2027 electoral process.