Arise TV Morning Show anchor Rufai Oseni has urged Nigerians to actively monitor election results and establish independent channels for tracking and cross-checking figures during the 2027 general elections.
Oseni made the call during Wednesday’s edition of the Morning Show, stressing that Nigerians should not simply wait for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce the final results.
“Please, every Nigerian, monitor the results. The only difference is that you can’t announce it as an official. Monitor the results,” Oseni said.
He encouraged citizens and observers to establish their own monitoring and collation stations where they could document figures as they are uploaded to INEC’s Result Viewing portal, IReV.
“Set up your own election monitoring station, collation station, where, if possible, as it is dropping on IReV, you are gathering the data and appending your results. Please do it,” he added.
Oseni also urged INEC to upload polling-unit and collation forms, particularly Forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C, to IReV so that members of the public can independently compare and verify the figures.
“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.
He referenced previous technical and administrative issues involving election-result management as reasons for greater public scrutiny. Oseni pointed to an IReV glitch during an Osun election and the controversy surrounding the 2023 Adamawa governorship election, when the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari, made an announcement before the completion of the collation process.
However, Oseni stressed that independent monitoring should not be confused with the legal authority to declare election winners.
“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 clarified.
He urged Nigerians to demand greater transparency from INEC and ensure that election records are available for public scrutiny as preparations for the 2027 polls continue.
