The Obidient Movement has said there is evidence of collusion between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It lamented that the same INEC that has failed to address the most basic issues surrounding electoral transparency, result transmission and the credibility of its processes is now announcing plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence (Al) in the 2027 elections.

"We reject this proposal in its entirety, particularly as the Commission has failed to explain how this technology will work, what problems it is intended to solve and what safeguards will prevent its abuse," the movement said.

"Technology has never been the fundamental problem with Nigeria's elections. The real problem is the apparent collusion between INEC and the APC. In a recent investigation published by Mundx Analytics, it was revealed that presidential results from more than 50,000 polling units were uploaded from people's phones. These were people working with INEC to subvert the will of the people and crown a drug baron as president, thereby setting Nigeria back by decades.

"No amount of technological sophistication can deliver credible elections when the institution responsible for conducting them is compromised. Introducing Al into a system that has yet to account for its existing failures is not electoral reform. It is an attempt to distract Nigerians from the fundamental questions of institutional independence, transparency and accountability."

The Obidient Movement said its concerns are further heightened by the fact that Mr. Lawrence Bayode, the same INEC ICT Director who masterminded the subversion of the people's mandate in 2023, is still the same person who oversees that department, heading into the 2027 elections.

It said, "We want to put it on record that the issue in 2023 was not a failure of technology, but the evil collusion of Mr. Bayode, the then INEC Chairman, Mr. Mahmood Yakubu, and the APC. Shutting down the server was their strategy in 2023. In 2027, they are planning to put the blame on Al. This evil scheme will not work. INEC's continued decision to allow Mr. Bayode and his team to oversee critical electoral systems clearly demonstrates its evil. agenda for the 2027 elections.

"We therefore demand that INEC:
1. Publish its comprehensive 2027 election plan, including the technologies, procedures and safeguards it intends to deploy
2. Conduct an independent audit of its electoral technology and publicly disclose the findings and corrective measures.
3. Guarantee transparent and verifiable result transmission, ensuring that every vote cast at the polling unit is accurately reflected in the final result.
4. Explain its proposed use of Al and submit the technology to independent testing and public scrutiny.
5. Ensure the independence of its ICT leadership by removing officials whose partisan activities compromise public confidence in the electoral process

"If INEC proceeds with its plan of rigging the 2027 elections, Nigerians will not go to Tinubu's judiciary to beg for the restoration of their mandate. Since the Nigerian judiciary has outlived its usefulness, the onus lies on INEC to ensure that the peopia's mandate is respected, otherwise, the electoral body will successfully throw the country into avoidable chaos. The INEC Chairman, Mr. Josh Amupitan, still has enough time. to retrace his steps before it is too late.

"Any attempt to steal the people's mandate in 2027 risks provoking widespread public outrage and anarchy. INEC must not take the patience of Nigerians for granted or mistake their commitment to democracy for an unwillingness to defend their votes. The responsibility for preventing an electoral crisis rests squarely on INEC. The Commission must act now, before its continued secrecy and failures push the country towards a crisis that could have been avoided.
"The people's mandate is not negotiable."

ASA