2027 election: Peter Obi plans dual result transmission

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has said his team will establish an independent system to transmit election results from polling units to its situation room during the general elections.

Obi disclosed this on Thursday during an exclusive interview on Arise Television, explaining that the system would allow his team to receive, monitor and verify results from polling units as they are recorded.

The former Anambra State governor said the arrangement would operate alongside the official transmission of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Obi explains dual transmission plan

Obi said his team would ensure that results recorded at polling units are properly documented and transmitted through an additional channel to its own situation room.

“We must make sure that at every polling unit, the votes are counted, the votes are recorded properly, the votes are transmitted properly.

“And we will have even a dual transmission so that as it’s going to the proper designated INEC portal, it’s also being transmitted where the people can see it,” he said.

The proposal, according to Obi, is aimed at strengthening transparency in the electoral process and ensuring that results being announced can be traced back to the polling units where the votes were cast and counted.

Obi rejects claim of parallel IReV system

When asked whether his plan to have more systems similar to the INEC Result Viewing Portal across the country amounted to creating a parallel result-transmission system, Obi disagreed.

“All we are saying is that this time around, we will make sure that in every polling unit, we must have a system that transmits to our own situation room the correct results,” he stated.

He said the independent monitoring arrangement would not replace INEC’s official process but would provide an additional mechanism through which his team could monitor results and compare them with the official figures.

Obi also said other organisations could establish similar systems, arguing that having multiple independent monitoring mechanisms would help strengthen confidence in the electoral process.

“We’re not going to have a situation where somebody pronounces something that didn’t emanate from the polling unit. Our task is to make sure that the right things are done,” he said.

Obi says transparent election is possible

The NDC candidate said a transparent and credible election was achievable, citing Ghana and other countries as examples of nations where electoral processes had demonstrated that greater transparency was possible.

He said the focus should be on ensuring that votes cast by Nigerians are accurately counted, recorded and reflected in the final results.

Obi also described the 2027 election as a contest that should go beyond the traditional rivalry between political parties.

According to him, the election should ultimately be about Nigerians and the kind of government they want, rather than being reduced to a contest between political parties and their candidates.

He maintained that his proposed measures were aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process and ensuring that the outcome of the election reflected the actual votes cast at polling units.