By Bassey Udo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday clarified media reports that it has jettisoned the use of electronic mode of transmission of results and reverted to the manual process during the 2023 elections.
Reacting to media reports that the procedure for result management during the 2023 elections has been altered, the spokesperson of INEC, Festus Okoye, said this was incorrect, explaining that highlights earlier provided by the election body on the result management procedure in an interview was misunderstood.
“For clarity, the procedure for result transmission remains the same as in recent Governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States. There will be no change in all future elections, including the 2023 General Election,” Okoye said in a statement on Sunday on its verified twitter handle, @inecnigeria.
Following the controversial media report on the alleged change in the mode of transmission of election results, concerned Nigerian accused the INEC of yielding to a grand conspiracy with desperate politicians to manipulate the process and rig the 2023 election against the popular wishes of Nigerians who are desirous of a change in the leadership of the country.
However, in his statement, Okoye reassured Nigerians that the electronic transmission of election results has come to stay, as it adds to the credibility and transparency of the electoral process when citizens follow polling unit level results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on real-time on Election Day.
“There will be no change or deviation in subsequent elections. The entire gamut of result management is provided for in Sections 60,62 and 64 of the Electoral Act 2022. In line with the provisions of the law, the Commission in April this year released a detailed clarification of the procedure for transmission, collation and declaration of result, which was shared with all stakeholders and uploaded to our website.
“We appeal to all Nigerians to avail themselves of the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Commission’s detailed explanation of the procedures and not reach a conclusion on the basis of media headlines.” Okoye said.
