NDPC targets INEC partnership, political parties training ahead of 2027 elections

The National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has announced plans to collaborate with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address data breaches ahead of the 2027 general elections, the National Commissioner, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, has said.

Speaking with journalists, Dr. Olatunji disclosed that the Commission also plans to engage all registered political parties, offering structured training on lawful personal data processing in the lead-up to the elections. Traditional institutions, he added, are equally being brought into the Commission’s outreach strategy as part of its drive to deepen privacy awareness across all sectors of Nigerian society.

Under Dr. Olatunji’s leadership, the NDPC — established under the 2023 Data Protection Act — has recorded significant milestones, including the registration of over 7,000 data protection officers, the auditing of hundreds of companies, and the issuance of fines for data privacy violations. The Commission also established Nigeria’s first-ever Data Privacy Academy, designed to build a globally competitive pool of data privacy professionals.

On Nigeria’s positioning in the global digital economy, Dr. Olatunji noted a growing culture of privacy in the country, stressing that the long-term goal is to make Nigeria an attractive destination for digital business investment — one where the rights of all citizens and legal residents are robustly protected.

Looking ahead, the National Commissioner identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cross-border data transfers as the next major frontier for data regulation, adding that the Commission’s approach would focus on enabling innovation while ensuring compliance with data privacy standards. Stakeholders have also called for amendments to the Data Protection Act to accommodate emerging technologies under what has been described as the “Natural Adoption Law.”

Dr. Olatunji further identified raising awareness on data privacy among solution providers, data programmers, and end users as a key challenge that remains critical to the success of Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.