Development of an Integrated Election Monitoring Software System for True Democracy

In September 2016, I, Mr. Ogochukwu Joshua Onwubolu, was introduced to a Nigerian civic group known as True Democracy during an award ceremony organised by the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), where I received an Award for Academic Excellence.

During our discussions, I learned that the organisation intended to acquire a comprehensive election monitoring software solution for Nigeria. However, they faced two major challenges:

• Limited financial resources to procure an existing solution.
• No available software adequately addressed the unique requirements of the Nigerian electoral process.

Following several consultations, I was requested to design and develop a bespoke election monitoring platform tailored specifically for Nigeria's electoral system. I accepted the challenge and proposed an integrated software solution capable of delivering transparent, secure and real-time election monitoring.

The Electronic Voting Collation System (EVCS) consists of several integrated modules designed to support election observation, result collation, verification, monitoring and reporting from polling units nationwide.

The Android application enables accredited polling agents to:

• Securely authenticate into the system.
• Capture election results.
• Upload polling unit results immediately after declaration.
• Upload scanned result sheets.
• Record and upload election videos.

The virtual server manages:

• Polling Agent Registration
• Device Authentication
• User Accounts
• Polling Unit Information
• Election Data
• Uploaded Results
• Supporting Documents
• Media Files

• Automatic vote computation.
• Ward, LGA, State and National aggregation.
• Real-time statistics.
• Instant analytical reports.
• Live monitoring dashboard.

Option A — SMS Submission

Agents may submit results through SMS when internet access is unavailable.

Submission Format

Name, Polling Unit, Ward, LGA, Total Accreditation, Results

Example

ossai,owesse,05,ndokwawest,
PDP:250,
APC:100,
ADC:150,
SDP:80,
ADP:170,
Others:30

01234

Option B — Mobile Application

1. Select State.
2. Select Local Government.
3. Select Ward.
4. Select Polling Unit.
5. Enter Election Results.
6. Upload Supporting Evidence.

• Polling Unit Results
• Ward Summaries
• Local Government Reports
• State Aggregation
• National Overview
• Graphs and Statistics

• Secure storage of scanned result sheets.
• Automatic linkage with uploaded results.
• Electronic verification.
• Audit and post-election analysis.

• Election Result Announcement.
• Vote Counting Process.
• Polling Unit Activities.
• Election Incidents.

• User Management
• Polling Agent Registration
• Device Management
• Election Configuration
• Result Monitoring
• Media Management
• Result Verification
• Audit Logs
• Security Controls

The first operational deployment of the Electronic Voting Collation System (EVCS) took place during the 2019 Local Government Election in Ndokwa West Local Government Area, Delta State.

The pilot deployment successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of the platform in capturing, processing and monitoring election results in real time.

Following this success, the software is currently undergoing further enhancement and nationwide scalability testing ahead of deployment for the 2027 Nigerian General Election.

Software Components

• Android Application
• Election Result Processing System
• Administrative Portal
• Monitoring Dashboard
• Result Sheet Repository
• Video Documentation System

Server Infrastructure

• Primary Virtual Server
• Document Storage Server
• Backup & Disaster Recovery Server

Field Equipment

• Android Smartphones
• Reliable Internet Connectivity
• SMS Gateway
• Large Monitoring Display Screens