APC Pushes Back Against Obi’s Proposed Parallel IReV Platform

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected a proposal attributed to Peter Obi for a parallel electronic system for transmitting election results, arguing that the former presidential candidate has no legal authority to establish a structure that could operate alongside the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV.

The disagreement comes as political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 general elections, with the credibility of electronic result transmission expected to remain a major issue in the electoral debate.

Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election, has advocated stronger use of technology to improve the transparency of the electoral process. His position has included calls for mechanisms that would allow election results to be transmitted and monitored electronically, giving political parties and voters greater visibility over results from polling units.

The APC, however, has questioned the basis for establishing an alternative arrangement outside INEC’s existing electoral framework.

The party’s objection centres on the role of IReV, the platform developed by INEC to enable the public to view scanned copies of polling-unit result sheets uploaded electronically during elections.

The controversy highlights a broader disagreement over how technology should be deployed in Nigeria’s electoral system.

Political parties already have the right to deploy agents to polling units, monitor voting and obtain copies of result sheets. INEC, however, remains responsible for conducting elections, collating results through the legally prescribed process and declaring official results.

The distinction is important because the creation of competing platforms could raise questions about which results should be regarded as authoritative if discrepancies emerge.

The issue gained national prominence during the 2023 elections, when the performance of IReV and the electronic transmission of results became central to debates over the transparency of the presidential election.

The experience has since fuelled calls from political actors and civil society groups for stronger electoral technology and more reliable access to polling-unit results.

For Obi and his supporters, improved electronic transmission is linked to greater transparency and stronger safeguards for votes. The APC’s position, however, places emphasis on maintaining a single institutional framework under INEC rather than allowing alternative structures to assume a role that could overlap with the commission’s responsibilities.

The disagreement also comes as preparations for the 2027 presidential election gather momentum. Political parties are expected to develop extensive election-monitoring networks, particularly at the polling-unit level, where results are first recorded.

The debate over IReV therefore extends beyond the immediate disagreement between Obi and the APC. It raises questions about whether additional technology should complement INEC’s existing system or create a separate channel for the transmission and verification of election results.

With electoral reform likely to remain an important issue ahead of 2027, the effectiveness, reliability and legal status of electronic result-transmission systems will remain under close scrutiny.