The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that the electronic transmission of results of elections has come to stay.
According to the Commission, electronic transmission of results adds to the credibility and transparency of the process, stressing that the entire gamut of result management is provided for in Sections 60, 62 and 64 of the Electoral Act 2022.
This declaration was contained in a Statement by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye Esq. in which he debunked the report by some media organisations that it is going to use the manual transmission of results in the 2023 general elections.
Okoye pointed out that there will be no going back on the electronic transmission of results as was done in the Ekiti and Osun Governorship elections.
He further explained that there was a misunderstanding arising from a recent short interview he granted a newspaper on the procedure for result management during elections, adding that some have interpreted the explanation on result management procedure to mean that the Commission has jettisoned the electronic transmission of result and reverted to the manual process, stressing that “This is not correct”.
INEC also said; “There will be no change in all future elections, including the 2023 General Election.
“It adds to the credibility and transparency of the process when citizens follow polling unit level results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal in 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 provision 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,” INEC said.
It, therefore, appealed to Nigerians to avail themselves of the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Commission’s detailed explanation of the procedure and not reach a conclusion based on media headlines.