Duke Pushes Digital Voting Reform, Says Nigeria Must Restore Trust in Elections

ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Cross River State governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has renewed calls for a technology-driven electoral system in Nigeria, arguing that restoring public confidence in elections will require a process that allows voters to cast, verify and track their ballots with greater transparency.

Duke said the country's electoral framework has struggled to inspire confidence among voters, contending that persistent disputes over election outcomes have contributed to growing voter apathy and declining trust in democratic institutions. According to him, many Nigerians have become disillusioned because they do not believe their votes ultimately determine election results.

The former governor argued that advances in digital technology have made it possible for countries to design secure systems capable of counting and independently verifying votes, questioning why Nigeria continues to depend heavily on processes that critics say remain susceptible to human interference and manipulation.

Drawing comparisons with the banking sector, Duke noted that millions of Nigerians routinely conduct electronic financial transactions across the country with relative confidence. He said the same technological innovation should be applied more comprehensively to elections, particularly as the country prepares for another highly competitive electoral cycle in 2027.

His comments come amid renewed debate over electoral reforms and the role of technology in strengthening democratic credibility. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has, in recent election cycles, introduced tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to improve transparency. While those innovations were widely welcomed, their implementation and effectiveness have remained subjects of political and legal controversy.

Duke also revisited INEC’s controversial postponement of the 2019 general election, which was announced only hours before voting was scheduled to begin. He argued that such last-minute decisions impose significant financial and logistical costs on political parties, election officials and voters, while further eroding confidence in the electoral process.

Beyond technology, the former governor linked electoral credibility to the broader health of Nigeria’s democracy. He warned that when citizens lose faith in the value of their votes, accountability suffers because elected officials may feel less obligated to respond to public expectations. Similar concerns have featured prominently in Duke’s recent interventions on governance and democratic reform ahead of the next election cycle.

His remarks also come at a time when political parties are beginning to position themselves for the 2027 presidential election, with electoral reforms emerging as one of the key issues likely to shape public debate. Calls for electronic voting, real-time result verification and greater institutional independence have increasingly become central demands from opposition figures, civil society groups and election observers.

While INEC has consistently defended its efforts to modernize election administration, Duke’s intervention highlights the continuing gap between technological capability and public trust. As Nigeria approaches another crucial electoral season, the debate may no longer be whether technology should play a larger role in elections, but whether the political will exists to deploy it in a manner that convinces citizens that every vote genuinely counts.