CLAUSE 60, ELECTORAL INTEGRITY, AND A PRACTICAL TECHNOLOGICAL PATH FORWARD -Bisi adegbuyi
Dear Editor,
Nigeria is once again engaged in a passionate national conversation following the signing of the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment).
At the centre of the debate lies Clause 60, which allows electronic transmission of results to remain optional while permitting manual fallback where connectivity challenges arise.
Public anxiety about this provision is understandable. Nigerians want assurance that results recorded at polling units remain authentic throughout the collation process. The solution to this concern need not be political confrontation; it can be technical reinforcement.
I wish to introduce a Nigerian-developed approach designed to strengthen electoral integrity under both electronic and manual scenarios. It is called CRYLID — the Cryptographic Real You Location Identity Device — a patented innovation developed by Grandview Digital Private Infrastructure for Public Service G-DPIPS.
THE CORE ISSUE
The real concern is not whether electronic transmission should be mandatory. The issue is whether polling-unit results can be independently verified even when connectivity fails. Infrastructure limitations are real, but they should not translate into diminished confidence in the authenticity of results.
WHAT THE TECHNOLOGY DOES
CRYLID enables polling-unit results to be cryptographically authenticated at the moment they are recorded. A secure digital signature binds the result data, geographic coordinates, and timestamp into a tamper-evident record. This process occurs locally and does not depend on internet availability. Once connectivity returns, the authenticated record can synchronise with central systems.
The effect is straightforward: the integrity of results is secured at source, reducing the risk associated with later stages of collation.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR CLAUSE 60
Under this approach, manual fallback procedures remain lawful and operationally useful, while the authenticity of polling-unit outcomes remains independently verifiable. Where discrepancies arise between sealed digital records and subsequent submissions, such differences become auditable through objective technical evidence.
This is not about replacing existing electoral procedures; it is about strengthening trust within them.
A CALL FOR TECHNICAL ENGAGEMENT
I respectfully invite the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Presidency, the National Assembly, and civil society stakeholders to engage in a technical briefing on how cryptographic location verification can complement Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Electoral credibility should be a shared national objective beyond partisan lines. Constructive engagement with available technology is the most responsible path forward.
TO THE NIGERIAN VOTER
Confidence in democracy grows when systems are transparent and verifiable. Technology cannot replace the will of the people, but it can help ensure that the will expressed at the polling unit remains intact throughout the process.
CRYLID represents one component of a broader sovereign digital infrastructure to be presented under the ADDRESS NIGERIA initiative on 11 May 2026 — a federated framework designed to strengthen governance through address-aware, location-intelligent systems.
I thank the editors of Nigeria’s free press for sustaining informed national dialogue.
Yours faithfully,
Digital Bismark Adegbuyi (DBA)
Chairman/Founder/CEO Grandview Digital Private Infrastructure for Public Service G-DPIPS
Inventor, CRYLID.
Former Postmaster General of Nigeria (2016–2019)
