The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has called for robust data governance in the deployment of election technologies, warning that the legitimacy of future polls depends as much on personal data protection as on technological efficiency.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 8th Nigeria eGovernment Summit in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme, “Mainstreaming Technologies in Nigeria Election Management: The Data Protection Imperative,” Olatunji commended the organizers for sustaining the platform over the years while urging electoral stakeholders to prioritize voter privacy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Tracing the evolution of Nigeria’s electoral framework from manual operations to digital innovations such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), Olatunji acknowledged that automation has significantly bolstered transparency, eliminated multiple registrations, reduced voter impersonation, and curtailed accreditation delays.
He cautioned, however, that the progressive digitization of the electoral space exponentially increases the volume of sensitive personal and biometric information gathered from citizens.
According to the NDPC boss, every phase of the modern electoral cycle generates a substantial digital footprint, introducing vulnerabilities such as database breaches, unauthorized voter profiling, and third-party vendor risks.
Olatunji maintained that technological operational success alone cannot guarantee credible elections, asserting that democratic legitimacy collapses if citizens lose confidence in the security of their personal information or the authenticity of declared outcomes.
To mitigate these threats, the NDPC is collaborating closely with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the statutory safeguards outlined in the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
Olatunji emphasized that securing the nation’s digital electoral ecosystem requires mandatory Data Privacy Impact Assessments (DPIAs), regular independent security audits, comprehensive capacity building, sustained public awareness campaigns, and shared accountability across all institutions handling voter records.