The leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strengthen its technological infrastructure ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning against any compromise of the commission’s servers.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric urged the electoral body to ensure that its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal function effectively throughout the election period.
According to Ayodele, any disruption to the electronic transmission of election results could undermine the credibility of the polls and trigger widespread disputes.
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“INEC should work seriously on its server so it won’t be hacked during the election. There will be some places where IReV won’t work, and when it’s done manually, it will lead to rigging. INEC must be careful so anything won’t go wrong in the election,” he said.
The cleric also advised the commission to sensitise and monitor its officials, warning that some individuals could attempt to influence electoral officers through financial inducements.
He stressed that any act capable of compromising the integrity of the electoral process would attract public criticism against the commission.
“Nigerians will hold INEC if anything goes wrong in the election. The commission must talk to its officials not to be involved in any shady deal regarding the election. There is no way they won’t try to induce them with money, but they must stand their ground because if any manipulation is detected, INEC will pay heavily for it,” he added.
Ayodele further identified several states where he said there could be electoral irregularities if adequate safeguards are not put in place.
The states he listed include Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Yobe, Cross River, Oyo, Enugu, Adamawa and Lagos.
He urged INEC to pay special attention to the identified states to prevent any form of electoral malpractice that could threaten the credibility of the 2027 polls.
“Everyone must watch well on these areas in order not to have issues. There will be some foul play in these states. INEC’s server needs to be protected, and the commission must do the needful; if not, we will witness so many irregularities. The officials of INEC must be trained to avoid fraud or any other form of atrocities,” he said.
Ayodele has, on several occasions, issued public warnings and predictions on political developments, elections and governance, often urging public institutions to take proactive measures to avert potential challenges.
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