Professor Pat Utomi, a member of the Movement for Credible Elections (MCE), has called for wider use of technology to monitor Nigeria’s elections, warning that Nigerians could resort to taking control of the electoral process if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) places restrictions on technological tools that could improve transparency.
Utomi made the remarks during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as discussions intensify over preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The political economist argued that voters, observers and other stakeholders should be able to use technology to document and livestream activities at polling units.
According to Utomi, election monitoring should not depend exclusively on political party agents, particularly because some parties may lack the financial and logistical capacity to deploy agents to every polling unit nationwide.
He proposed the use of body cameras and live-streaming technology at polling booths across the country, saying such measures could provide independent documentation of voting, counting and other activities at polling units.
“The election should be technologised; body cams, live streaming from every polling booth in the country.”
Utomi also questioned restrictions that could prevent citizens from bringing technological devices to polling units for the purpose of improving transparency.
“If INEC tells us that people can’t bring things to make elections transparent, then they are criminals who want the elections not to be transparent.”
Utomi Raises Concern Over Party Agents
The professor said reliance on party agents could leave gaps in election monitoring because political parties may not have representatives at every polling station.
He argued that where a party is unable to deploy agents nationwide, it could become vulnerable to alleged manipulation of results in polling units where its representatives are absent.
“A party that can’t have agents in all of the polling stations in the country is vulnerable to having results written where they are not present.”
Utomi said technology could help address some of these gaps by allowing activities at polling units to be independently recorded and monitored.
His proposal comes amid broader discussions about the role of technology in Nigeria’s 2027 electoral process. Earlier in June, Utomi said an opposition political initiative was considering an independent system for transmitting and monitoring polling-unit results.
Calls for Greater Citizen Participation
Utomi also urged Nigerians to become more actively involved in protecting the integrity of their votes.
He said greater public awareness, cooperation among political groups and technological monitoring could strengthen citizens’ ability to follow the electoral process and ensure that votes are properly counted.
“There’s a way that opposition can, and is currently collaborating, that will ensure that people are made aware that their votes can count.”
He added that widespread voter participation could make it difficult for security forces to prevent citizens from exercising their franchise.
Utomi’s comments come as his Movement for Credible Elections continues consultations with opposition parties and presidential aspirants ahead of the 2027 election. The group has also been advocating technology-based monitoring of polling units.
Utomi Criticises Use of Public Funds for Campaigns
The political economist further criticised the use of public resources to finance political campaigns, saying politicians who divert state resources for electoral purposes should face legal consequences.
“One day I would like to see politicians go to jail for spending public money to run for office.”
Utomi described the practice as criminal and argued that access to public resources could give some political actors an advantage over candidates and parties without similar resources.
He maintained that technology, citizen participation and cooperation among political groups could help reduce opportunities for electoral malpractice.
Concluding his call for greater technological involvement in elections, Utomi reiterated his proposal for body cameras and live broadcasts from polling units, saying Nigerians should be empowered to independently monitor the electoral process.