2027 Elections: PDP Warns INEC — “No Glitches, No Excuses”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded full enforcement of the Electoral Act 2022 provisions mandating electronic transmission of results in the 2027 general elections, vowing to resist any attempt to manipulate the process or undermine Nigerians’ will.

Section 64 (4–6) of the Act provides for recording and transmission of results directly from polling units using the Smart Card Reader (SCR) or any electronic device approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC admitted that the electronic transmission of presidential results in 2023 suffered glitches, preventing real-time uploads.

Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, expressed the party’s concern over what he described as “institutional manipulation” of previous polls. He insisted that INEC must guarantee direct, real-time transmission of results in 2027.

“There must be no glitches in 2027. If POS machines work seamlessly across the remotest parts of this country, then INEC cannot claim that its BVAS machines suddenly fail on election day. That would be deliberate, institutional manipulation, and Nigerians will not accept it,” Ologunagba warned.

He added:

“This is no longer about politics; it is about the very survival of our democracy. INEC must rise to its constitutional duty and guarantee a process where every vote counts, and every vote is seen to count.”

The PDP spokesman argued that Nigeria already has the technology to ensure credible elections and accused INEC of failing to fully deploy it.

“Nigerians can use their ATM cards and POS machines nationwide without issues. So why should BVAS machines, with backup batteries, conveniently fail at polling units? This cannot be coincidence; it is a calculated effort to subvert the will of the people,” he said.

He stressed that the PDP would lead efforts to safeguard democracy and ensure accurate reflection of voters’ choices.

“Votes must count and be counted. Any attempt to abridge Nigerians’ rights to choose their leaders will be firmly resisted by our party and the Nigerian people,” Ologunagba declared.

According to him, the 2027 elections must be free, fair, transparent, and devoid of excuses:

“The era of glitches is over. If electronic payments work nationwide, INEC has no reason to fail. Nigerians deserve credible elections, and the PDP will ensure they get nothing less.”

Criticism of APC

Ologunagba also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of heating up the polity with early campaigns, describing them as “endorsement shopping” to mask alleged underperformance.

“If the APC and President Bola Tinubu were truly performing, they wouldn’t need endorsements. Nigerians cannot feed their families, pay school fees, or afford basic necessities, yet this government continues to impose policies like the proposed five per cent tax on petroleum products coming in January. That is not governance; it is punishment,” he said.

He added that governance had been abandoned for premature electioneering, noting that “INEC itself has expressed frustration at this behaviour.”

ADC Backs Electronic Transmission

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) aligned with the PDP on the issue. Its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, told Vanguard:

“If establishing a legal framework for the electronic transmission of election results will compel INEC to act rightly and deepen transparency in our electoral process, then the ADC will stand firmly in support of it.

For us, anything that guarantees that the votes of the people genuinely count and protects the sanctity and integrity of our elections is not just desirable; it is an absolute necessity.”