Voters’ privacy critical to public trust in 2027 elections, lawyers warn

Source Domain: businessday.ng

The protection of voters’ personal data will be a critical factor in sustaining public trust ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, according to the Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative (DRLI).

The organisation said that while attention has largely focused on electoral credibility, transparency, security and logistics, concerns around the handling of citizens’ personal information have become increasingly important as technology assumes a greater role in electoral administration.

To address the issue, DRLI will host a virtual stakeholders’ dialogue titled ‘2027 General Elections, Voters’ Privacy and Public Trust: Matters Arising’ on June 24, 2026.

The event is expected to bring together experts in human rights, accountability and digital governance to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with safeguarding voters’ data before the next general elections.

Participants include Kolawole Oluwadare, deputy director of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); Khadijah El-Usman, senior programmes officer at Paradigm Initiative; Inibehe Effiong, principal of Inibehe Effiong Chambers; and the head of research and monitoring and evaluation at Yiaga Africa. The session will be moderated by Solomon Okedara, co-founder of DRLI.

According to DRLI, the increasing use of technology in voter registration, biometric verification, digital databases and electronic communications has improved efficiency in election management but has also introduced new privacy and security risks.

Okedara said confidence in elections extends beyond activities at polling units and includes trust in how citizens’ personal information is collected, processed and protected by public institutions.

“Public trust in elections is not built only at polling stations. It is also built through confidence that citizens’…

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