The Big Tent Coalition has launched 'Obidient Connect', a civic-tech platform aimed at mobilising Nigerians at home and in the diaspora ahead of the 2027 general elections. Professor Pat Utomi, founder of the coalition, described the platform as "the historic bridge between the energy of citizens and the urgent task of rescuing Nigeria's democracy from decay" during its unveiling. He cited Nigeria's democratic setbacks, worsening insecurity, deepening poverty, institutional failures and the 2023 elections as key context for the initiative. "Expression alone is not power. Organisation is power," Utomi said, adding that the platform is designed to turn citizen hope into structured civic power at every ward, polling unit and diaspora community.
'Obidient Connect' allows Nigerians to connect by polling unit within Nigeria and by country cells abroad, organise voter education and lawful civic engagement, and protect votes through real-time reporting. The platform will enable transmission of certified polling-unit results from all 176,864 polling units to a central dashboard, enhancing transparency. Utomi announced a partnership with Naija We Can, a US-registered nonprofit, to manage donations from Nigerians at home and in the diaspora. He stated that funds will support civic education, grassroots organising and advocacy, with no contributions going to political parties. Utomi named Charles Odibo, a communications strategist with experience in three major Nigerian banks, as Coordinator of the platform, praising his discipline and strategic clarity.
Pat Utomi positions Obidient Connect as a tool to prevent vote theft, yet the platform's real-time results transmission hinges on citizens having access and power in spaces where past elections have shown systemic exclusion. If 176,864 polling units are to send certified results, the same infrastructure gaps that undermined previous elections must be addressed. Nigerians in remote areas with no electricity or internet are already at risk of being left out of this digital promise. The platform's success depends not on technology alone, but on whether it can function where it is needed most.
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