The demand by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should suspend further announcement of election results to ensure transparency has raised question on INEC technical capability in electronic transmission of election results. The protest even though it was necessary was led by the Party Agent of PDP Senator Dino Melaye.
Some weeks to the 2023 General Elections, the INEC had assured Nigerians that its portal is fortified thereby making it impossible for elections to be rigged. INEC also in September 2023 said its result viewing (IReV) portal was attacked by hackers across the world during the recently conducted Governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun,.
The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu said, at a seminar themed ‘2023 and beyond: leadership, politics, and citizens engagement,’ organised by St. James Anglican Church in Abuja on Saturday that politicians should refrain from attempts to influence the electoral process. The commission chairman who was represented by Chukwu Ogbuaja, deputy director, voter education, said INEC has the legal authority to investigate any election result that had been manipulated. Political parties that engage in rigging will face the same experience witnessed in Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections. Noting that “Nobody can rig any election. INEC has fortified its portal, people will elect the leader they leader want.
“Section 65 of the Act gives the Commission the power within seven days to review a declaration and return made where the commission determines that the said declaration and return was not made voluntarily or was made contrary to the provisions of the law, regulations and guidelines, and manual for the election. The Commission will exercise this power responsibly based on the provisions of the constitution, the electoral act and its regulations and guidelines. We, in INEC, have a good message for all Nigerians.
“We have murdered and buried rigging in Nigeria. Apart from that, no voter can afford to vote more than once in any election in Nigeria. Also, there will be no case of over voting again in any polling station. Voting will be based on BVAS and other electronic devices by INEC. The Chairman said the bimodal voter registration system (BVAS) will ensure that the fingerprints tally with the facials recorded. The processes are so transparently configured that finger and facial records are contained in the BVAS and thereafter, the results are uploaded to anyone that keys into the INEC portal anywhere in the world. At the polling stations, the number of votes must be based on the number of voters accredited at the time of polling and not based on the number of registered voters. The number of accreditation at the polling station must tally with the number of actual voting. If it is exceeded by one vote, the entire process would be invalidated,” he said.
Yakubu added that INEC is committed to leaving a legacy of a transparent election with the outcome of the 2023 general election.
In September YIAGA Africa, a civil society organisation, had found some inconsistencies with the electronic transmission of results during the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun.
In the ongoing Presidential and National Assembly Elections results collation, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has lamented that the Presidential and National Assembly polls in Nigeria were marred by violence, not credible and fell short of basic international standards.
The Chief Observer of the EU EOM, Barry Andrews while addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday identified different kinds of irregularities during the elections. He stressed that the elections were marred by violence, poor organisation, lack of transparency, significant evidence of fraud, voter disenfranchisement and bias. These elections have not lived up to the hopes and expectations of the Nigerian people and the process cannot be considered to have been credible.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) Joint Election Observation Mission (IEOM) argued that the 2022 Electoral reforms, the 2023 election fell well short of citizens’ expectations.
The Joint Election Observation Mission which was led by the former President of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda emphasised that logistical challenges and multiple incidents of political violence overshadowed the electoral process.
Dr. Banda posited despite large crowds in some polling stations and long waits, Nigerian voters demonstrated commitment to participate in the process and a strong desire to have their voices heard. “We congratulate the people of Nigeria for their resilience and enthusiasm to participate in the process,” she said.
The NDI/IRI 40-member joint IEOM was deployed across across six geopolitical regions of the country, and observed all stages of the voting process. Their observations informed preliminary findings and 27 practical recommendations to improve future elections.
In their observations, the IEOM said, “the mission notes that despite the much-needed reforms to The Electoral Act 2022, the election fell well short of Nigerian citizens’ reasonable expectations. Logistical challenges and multiple incidents of political violence overshadowed the electoral process and impeded a substantial number of voters from participating. Ongoing currency and fuel shortages also imposed excessive burdens on voters and election officials, and Nigerian marginalised groups, especially women, continue to face barriers to seeking and obtaining political office.
“The delegation also observed that late opening of polling locations and logistical failures created tensions and the secrecy of the ballot was compromised in some polling units given overcrowding.
“At the close of the polls, challenges with the electronic transfer of results and their upload to a public portal in a timely manner, undermined citizens’ confidence at a crucial moment of the process. Moreover inadequate communication and lack of transparency by the INEC about their cause and extent created confusion and eroded voters’ trust in the process,” the IEOM noted.
It said the combined effect of these problems disenfranchised Nigerian voters in many areas, stating that although the scope and scale is currently unknown. Despite these issues, Nigerians once again demonstrated their commitment to the democratic process. Voters displayed extraordinary resilience and resolve to have their voices heard through the ballot, and INEC administered a nationwide election according to the electoral calendar for the first time in the country’s recent history.
According to Section 64 (4) of the Electoral Act, “A returning officer at an election can only collate and announce the result of an election subject to verification and confirmation that the accreditation number and votes stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with votes or results recorded and transmitted directly from the polling units.”
Understudying this Electoral Act, the Federal Government must wake up to live above all expectations in ensuring a fortification of the Elections Umpire portal to avoid discrepancies and agitations by Nigerians. There is tension in every corner of the country as a result of negligence on the part of the government to fix the INEC cyber.
In subsequent Governorship and State House of Assemblies Elections coming up next two weeks, the INEC must ensure that all the lapses are properly corrected before embarking on the elections. We are operating in digital age therefore, Nigeria as giant of the African Continent must lead in ensuring a free and fair Elections for others to follow.