With the 2027 general elections drawing closer, efforts to curb electoral malpractice have received a boost with the launch of iReportINEC, a digital platform designed to enable Nigerians report election fraud, vote-buying, violence and other electoral irregularities in real time as part of efforts to strengthen electoral accountability.

The platform, developed by the Tap Initiative for Citizens Development with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the National Election Accountability Consortium (NEAC), is intended to encourage greater citizen participation in the electoral process by allowing users to report incidents ranging from voter registration challenges and election-day irregularities to campaign violations and electoral violence.

According to the group, the platform, which is available on both the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Apple App Store for iOS users, enables citizens to document electoral incidents throughout the electoral cycle, generating data that could support advocacy, electoral reforms and institutional accountability.

The developers said iReportINEC provides a secure channel for citizens to report electoral concerns and engage more actively in promoting transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s electoral system.

Executive Director of Tap Initiative for Citizens Development, Mr. Mbasekei Martin Obono, described the platform as a major step towards strengthening democratic governance through active citizen participation.

According to him, democracy flourishes when citizens move beyond being passive observers to becoming active defenders of electoral integrity.

“Democracy thrives when citizens are active participants rather than passive observers. iReportINEC empowers Nigerians to play a meaningful role in protecting the integrity of elections by providing a credible platform for reporting electoral concerns and contributing to evidence-based electoral reforms.

This initiative reinforces our commitment to strengthening democratic accountability and ensuring that every citizen’s voice matters,” Obono said.

He added that the platform would not only facilitate the reporting of electoral incidents but also serve as a bridge between citizens and electoral stakeholders by amplifying voters’ voices and encouraging broader public participation in safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy.

The organisation said reports generated through the platform would provide structured data capable of supporting evidence-based interventions aimed at improving electoral reforms and strengthening public confidence in the electoral process.

Tap Initiative acknowledged the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the National Election Accountability Consortium (NEAC), describing their partnership as instrumental to the development and deployment of the platform.

The organisation further stated that citizen-generated data and independent monitoring remain critical to improving electoral integrity as Nigeria continues efforts to consolidate democratic governance.

It said iReportINEC is expected to complement the work of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society organisations, election observers, the media and other stakeholders by providing an additional platform for documenting and reporting electoral incidents.

The civil society group called on citizens, political parties, youth organisations, civil society groups, community leaders and election observers to utilise the platform as part of collective efforts to promote free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria