…Ex-minister says trust, not technology, is the backbone of credible polls
…Calls on INEC, political parties to restore confidence before Edo, Ondo guber
Former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Osita Chidoka, has cautioned that Nigeria’s democracy is in serious jeopardy if reliance on technology continues while the credibility of the electoral process is neglected.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Chidoka argued that tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic result transmission, while valuable, cannot on their own deliver credible elections without public confidence in the system.
“The real infrastructure of election is not technology; it is the integrity of the process. If you lose public trust, then the election is tainted,” he stated.
Chidoka’s comments follow the widespread dispute surrounding the 2023 general elections, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was accused of failing to fully transmit results electronically despite earlier assurances. The fallout undermined voter confidence and triggered a wave of legal challenges that reached the Supreme Court.
The former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps maintained that Nigeria’s democratic stability depends less on devices and more on institutions and processes that citizens genuinely trust.
“Technology should support, not replace the process. What matters most is that the people believe their votes count and that results reflect the will of the electorate,” Chidoka remarked.
He called on INEC to rebuild credibility ahead of the forthcoming off-season governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States by guaranteeing transparency and strict compliance with the Electoral Act. He also pressed political parties to act responsibly, warning that fragile trust in the system would only drive apathy and worsen political instability.
Analysts point out that Chidoka’s comments echo longstanding concerns from civil society organisations, which have repeatedly accused Nigeria’s leaders of framing electoral reform as a technological fix rather than a deeper institutional overhaul.
With the 2027 general elections already looming, pressure is growing on INEC and the legislature to address persistent issues of logistics, funding, and accountability.
For many Nigerians, the memory of the 2023 polls remains vivid. Although INEC has defended its performance, citizens across the country continue to question whether their votes truly mattered. Chidoka’s warning therefore arrives as both a critique and a rallying call.
“The ballot is not about machines but about trust. Once the people believe the process has been compromised, democracy itself is weakened,” he concluded.
