Oluseyi Olufemi, executive director of Dataphyte, who spoke on behalf of the consortium at the official launch and press briefing, said the initiative would integrate independent election observation networks into a shared technology platform for collecting, analysing, verifying and distributing electoral information.

The consortium comprises Dataphyte Foundation, BudgIT the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Yiaga Africa, NED and DEAN Initiative.

Olufemi said the initiative was designed to address fragmentation in Nigeria’s civic information ecosystem, where civil society organisations often collect similar information, operate separate observation networks and publish findings without a common system for sharing resources, comparing evidence and verifying information.

He said the limitations became more apparent during the 2023 general elections, particularly amid challenges surrounding the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) results and the IReV results portal, especially during the transmission and publication of election results.

According to him, the experience demonstrated the need for independent, coordinated civic infrastructure capable of consolidating information from multiple sources and cross-checking electoral evidence.

The consortium also cited the growing threat posed by generative AI, deepfakes, manipulated content and misinformation, which are making it increasingly difficult for citizens to distinguish credible election information from false or misleading claims.

Olufemi said public confidence in the electoral process remained a concern, citing a September 2026 National Voting Intention Survey by Afrobarometer, which he said found that only 34 percent of respondents expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct credible elections.

He said the developments reinforced the need for independent election observation and access to credible, verifiable information throughout the electoral cycle.

“No single civil society organisation, regardless of its experience or resources, can adequately respond to these challenges at the national level,” he said, explaining that the consortium had decided to pool its institutional capacities and establish a common evidence system.

Olufemi described NEDO as a shared election observation, data aggregation and information-sharing system that integrates independent observation networks through a common technological platform.

According to him, the platform  incorporate automated data collection technology designed to receive election results published by INEC in real time.

Using AI-powered optical character recognition (OCR), he said the platform will convert images of election result sheets obtained from IReV into machine-readable data that can be organised, analysed and distributed.

He further informed that the  more than 4,000 election observers will provide real-time information on electoral administration, incidents, voting processes, vote collation and election results across different locations and stages of the electoral process.

He said the iinformation will also support media reporting and election verification through media networks coordinated by CJID.

Before the elections, he informed that the consortium will conduct election surveys and situation assessments to examine electoral preparedness, citizens’ perceptions, public confidence, emerging risks and the broader conditions shaping the 2027 elections.