Let Us Protect The Data And Also Protect The Vote

We cannot claim to be building credible digital elections while leaving the personal and biometric data of voters exposed to abuse, manipulation or careless handling.

We should take seriously the warning from the National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, that stronger data protection is essential ahead of the 2027 general elections. As our elections become increasingly dependent on technology, the protection of voter information must become as important as the technology itself.

We have moved from largely manual elections to systems involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal. These technologies have improved efficiency and helped address problems such as voter impersonation, multiple registration and accreditation delays. But every digital improvement creates a corresponding data vulnerability.

We should be particularly concerned because the electoral process now generates an extensive trail of personal and biometric information. If we fail to secure that information, we expose citizens to data breaches, voter profiling, identity theft, manipulation and third-party exploitation. We also create another route through which public confidence in elections can be damaged.

We should therefore reject the notion that technological efficiency alone amounts to electoral credibility. A voting system is only as trustworthy as the institutions and safeguards surrounding it. If citizens doubt the security of their information, they will inevitably question the integrity of the wider electoral process.

Olatunji put the matter correctly when he stressed that citizens must have confidence that their personal information is secure, electoral systems are protected and results are authentic.

We should demand that the NDPC and the INEC move decisively from general commitments to measurable safeguards. Data Privacy Impact Assessments, independent audits, stronger legislation, public awareness, technical capacity and clearly defined responsibilities should not be treated as administrative extras. They should be embedded into electoral planning.

We should also recognise that data protection is not solely a government responsibility. Political parties, technology providers, election contractors, financial institutions, civil society organisations and every other entity handling electoral information must accept their share of responsibility.

The 2027 elections will test more than our ability to deploy technology. They will test whether we have built institutions capable of protecting the citizens whose data make that technology possible.

We should make the standard uncompromising: no digital election is credible if the data of the voter are not secure. Protecting voter data is not merely about privacy. It is about protecting the integrity of the vote itself.