Okoye Says INEC Would not go Back to Manual Transmission of Results
Contrary to rumours, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asserts that it has not abandoned the electronic transmission of election results.
Festus Okoye, the commission’s spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday that INEC is not considering going back to the manual method of transmitting results.
In a brief communique titled “Clarification On Electronic Transmission Of Election Result”, Mr Okoye claimed that a recent brief interview he gave to a national publication about the process for managing election results is what has caused people to be unclear about the manner that has been used.
According to him, “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.
“This is not correct,” the INEC spokesman declared.
He added, “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”.
Nigerians were reassured by the INEC Commissioner that electronic result transmission was here to stay. When voters observe polling unit level results in real-time on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Election Day, this strategy further increases the legitimacy and transparency of the election process.
“There will be no change or deviation in subsequent elections,” Mr Okoye assured Nigerians.
“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”.
Okoye, who also serves as the chairman of INEC’s information and voter education committee, appealed on behalf of the commission, urging all Nigerians to use the Electoral Act’s provisions and the commission’s thorough explanation of the process rather than making decisions based solely on media headlines.
