Trust in Nigeria's election technology is outpacing confidence in the electoral commission itself, according to the latest National Voter Intention Survey (NVIS 3.0) by Yiaga Africa. The survey, released ahead of the 2027 general elections, found that 49% of Nigerians trust the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IReV result transmission platform, while only 34% express confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the body that manages those tools.
Yiaga Africa, an election observation group, described the 15-percentage-point gap as significant. The organisation noted that public faith in election technology does not automatically translate into trust in the institution responsible for running elections. This suggests INEC faces a credibility challenge that technological upgrades alone cannot resolve.
Rising Awareness of Electoral Reforms
One of the most encouraging trends in the data is the sharp increase in public awareness of electoral reforms. Across the three rounds of the survey, awareness rose from 24% in NVIS 1.0 to 37% in NVIS 2.0, and then to 62% in NVIS 3.0. In each round, a majority of respondents said these reforms had increased their confidence in the electoral process.
Yiaga Africa interpreted this pattern as evidence that Nigerians are not dismissing the system outright. Instead, the group suggested the public sentiment is closer to cautious acknowledgement: people can see the technology working, but remain uncertain about the institution behind it. The group emphasised that while the tools of voting are gaining public acceptance, the organisation managing those tools still has ground to recover.
Youth Participation and Fear of Violence
The survey also highlighted worrying trends among younger Nigerians, a demographic widely expected to influence the outcome of the 2027 general elections. Only 40% of young people who responded said they were very likely to vote. The group also reported that young Nigerians expressed greater fear of electoral violence compared to older age groups.
Additionally, young Nigerians showed lower levels of trust in INEC and a heavier reliance on social media as their primary source of election information. Yiaga Africa said rebuilding trust in INEC as an institution may be just as urgent a task as continuing to improve election technology ahead of 2027, noting that while the tools of voting appear to be gaining public acceptance, the organisation managing those tools still has ground to recover.
