Two Nigerian technology enthusiasts have built a free, open-source platform mapping all of the country’s 176,846 polling units.
The move comes months after Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asked for 1.5bn naira (£650,000; $815,000) to provide the same information under freedom of information laws.
The electoral commission had argued it needed the money to print more than six million pages of data at 250 naira per page, sparking widespread criticism from transparency advocates.
In response, software developer Kelly Omobude and product manager Uzoanya Grant spent three years quietly constructing the database, called CredibleVoteNG.
The platform covers all 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and requires no registration or subscription fees.
“Independent observation requires independent data,” the co-founders said. “If every organisation is working from the same verified, open baseline — that is the foundation for credible accountability.”
Why does this data matter?
For election observers, journalists, and political parties, knowing the exact layout of polling units is critical for tracking votes and deploying monitoring teams.
Historically, securing this data in Nigeria has been a major logistical challenge, often requiring civil society groups to spend weeks compiling fragmented information.
The new system allows users to navigate Nigeria’s complex electoral map down to local wards within seconds. It also exposes major regional disparities in voting access: Lagos State holds the highest number with 13,325 polling units, while the southern state of Bayelsa has just 2,244.
The founders say they have funded the project entirely from their own pockets since 2023.
With Nigeria preparing for its next general election in 2027, observers say citizen-led innovations like this could prove vital in strengthening public trust where state bureaucracy has faltered.
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