A coalition of research and academic institutions has trained and deployed 300 volunteers to monitor Nigeria’s political and electoral environment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The initiative, tagged #TrackingNaijaElection2027, is designed to generate evidence on developments that could affect the credibility, peace, security and inclusiveness of the electoral process.
The project is being implemented by the Centre for Research on Development of African Media, Governance and Society (CEREDEMS) in collaboration with the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies (CPSS), University of Ilorin, and the Institute of Geopolitical Communication, RUDN University, Russian Federation.
The volunteers were formally onboarded during a pre-deployment workshop held on August 17, 2026, at the Innovation Hub, University of Ilorin, where they were trained on sourcing, documenting, monitoring and analysing election, political and campaign information.
Leading a session on “Tools for Sourcing and Documenting Election, Political and Campaign Data,” Prof. Abdulrasaq Adisa explained how systematic collection and analysis of electoral information could support transparency, accountability and evidence-based policymaking.
Following the workshop, the volunteers were divided into clusters and assigned specific responsibilities. Their deployment commenced on August 20, with lead facilitators appointed in each group to coordinate activities and ensure consistency in the monitoring process.
The Director of Research and Strategy, Mutiu Iyanda, also conducted virtual sessions to further clarify the responsibilities of the teams and guide them on the use of the project’s monitoring frameworks.
According to the Executive Director of CEREDEMS, Associate Professor Mustapha Muhammed Jamiu, the initiative builds on the organisation’s experience during the 2023 general elections.
He said CEREDEMS’ previous monitoring project focused largely on information pollution and produced a report titled Multidimensionality of Toxic Election Campaigns: A Critical Analysis of 2023 Nigerian Presidential Election.
Jamiu explained that the 2027 project has a broader scope, covering information integrity, electoral governance, electoral security, electoral justice and peace, artificial intelligence and elections, and inclusive participation.
He said the objective was not merely to collect information but to analyse electoral data and convert the findings into useful knowledge for citizens, policymakers, civil society organisations and other democratic stakeholders.
The initiative will also incorporate public and academic engagements, workshops and research publications.
For CPSS Director, Prof. Abdul-Jelil Gbemisola Animasawun, the partnership is significant because electoral issues intersect directly with the Centre’s mandate of promoting peace, research and strategic engagement.
Animasawun said the Centre had already begun preparations for the 2027 elections through its Guest Speaker Series for Setting the Agenda for Peaceful & Credible 2027 Elections, with the first edition held on June 11, 2026.
He described the decision to establish the #Naija2027Elections Situation Room at CPSS as part of the Centre’s continuing commitment to democracy and sustainable peace.
The broader collaboration has been designated the Nigeria Electoral Integrity & Peace Initiative (NEIPI) 2027.
Animasawun said the initiative was based on the understanding that protecting democracy and sustaining peace required continuous monitoring and investment rather than interventions limited to the election period.
The project has already moved from training to data production, with the first insights from the volunteers’ monitoring activities published through CEREDEMS’ social media platforms.
Further training was conducted on August 29 through a virtual masterclass titled “Understanding Frameworks and Indices of Monitoring Nigeria’s 2027 Elections.”
During the session, Iyanda urged the volunteers to approach their responsibilities with seriousness, accuracy and confidentiality.
He stressed that the project was not about accumulating large volumes of election-related information but about identifying relevant evidence, analysing it and turning it into insights that could support electoral preparedness.
He also introduced participants to the project’s three-stage information refinery, evidence, action and learning; which involves collecting, cleaning, organising, analysing and visualising information before developing actionable insights.
One of the volunteers and group leaders, Alonge Sunday Temitope, said the project could strengthen the use of data in understanding electoral integrity and preventing election-related crises.
Temitope, an MA Peace and Development Studies student at CPSS, said his analysis of emerging trends had drawn attention to issues including local electoral insecurity, declining trust in institutions and risks of voter suppression.
He said early identification of such indicators could help civil society organisations, security actors and community leaders respond to potential flashpoints before they escalate.
For him, one of the major benefits of the initiative is the ability to move beyond political noise and focus on verified information capable of informing citizens and decision-makers.
“When citizens have access to trustworthy insight rather than speculation, they are better equipped to hold institutions accountable, vote without fear, and make informed choices for the future,” Temitope said.
With the 2027 elections still ahead, the organisers hope the monitoring network will provide sustained evidence on emerging electoral trends and contribute to informed interventions aimed at protecting electoral integrity, peaceful participation and democratic accountability.
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