The political economist and member of the Movement for Credible Elections says every polling unit should have body cameras and live-streaming technology to strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s elections.

Political economist and member of the Movement for Credible Elections, Prof. Pat Utomi, has called for the widespread use of technology at polling units across Nigeria, including body cameras and live-streaming devices, to make elections more transparent and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.

Utomi made the remarks while speaking on Arise News on Tuesday, where he argued that Nigerians should be allowed to use appropriate technological devices at polling stations to document and stream developments during elections.

He warned that any attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prevent Nigerians from using technology to promote transparency could deepen public distrust in the electoral system.

According to him, Nigerians should have access to real-time information from polling units rather than relying solely on official election structures and party agents to monitor the process.

Utomi said the use of technology could make it more difficult for election results to be manipulated at polling units where some political parties may not have agents present.

He explained that political parties with insufficient resources to deploy agents across all polling units remain vulnerable because results could potentially be recorded in their absence.

“There’s a way that opposition can, and is currently collaborating, that will ensure that people be made aware that their votes can count,” Utomi said.

He added that increased public awareness and confidence in the electoral process could encourage more Nigerians to participate in elections.

“If people become aware that their votes can count, and they come out and vote, it’s not a 300,000 Nigerian police force that can prevent the people’s will from taking place,” he said.

Calls for Technology at Every Polling Unit

Utomi argued that Nigeria should embrace technology as a tool for strengthening election monitoring rather than restricting its use.

He specifically called for the deployment of body cameras and live-streaming equipment at polling units across the country.

“The election should be technologised; body cams, live streaming from every polling booth in the country,” he said.

He questioned why Nigerians should be prevented from using technological tools capable of providing independent, real-time documentation of events at polling stations.

“Do you know who the chair of the electoral commission is in the UK? In the US, I have no clue. Results come from the media who are monitoring elections,” Utomi said.

He was contrasting Nigeria’s highly centralised public attention around the electoral commission with election monitoring practices in other countries, while arguing that greater independent observation could improve confidence in the process.

Utomi further warned that if INEC were to prevent Nigerians from using technology to make elections more transparent, it would raise serious concerns about the commission’s commitment to electoral openness.

“If INEC tells us that people can’t bring things to make elections transparent, then they are criminals who want the elections not to be transparent,” he said.

Criticism of Campaign Financing

The professor also criticised the use of public resources by politicians to finance election campaigns, describing the practice as criminal and calling for greater accountability.

“One day I would like to see politicians go to jail for spending public money to run for office,” Utomi said.

He argued that politicians should not treat public funds as resources available for election campaigns and said he intended to pursue the issue at the international level.

“They think that the state coffers is just to use to campaign. So, those who don’t have as much of that loot that belongs to the people to use can be more creative in the way they prevent elections from being abused,” he said.

Utomi’s comments come amid continuing debate over how Nigeria can strengthen election transparency, improve the credibility of results and increase public trust in the electoral process.

His proposal for live-streaming and body cameras at polling units would require clear rules on what devices can be used, how recordings would be handled, voter privacy protections and how independently captured footage could be treated within the official electoral process.

Utomi concluded by urging Nigerians to become more actively involved in protecting the integrity of elections.

“If they don’t want it, let Nigerians take over their country,” he said.