INEC’s excuse of ‘technical glitch’ at variance with common sense – LP’s Farotimi

A former spokesperson for the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 election, Dele Farotimi said the excuse of technical glitch by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was at variance with common sense.

Farotimi stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

The Labour Party said everything worked during the February 25 poll except INEC.

He said, “All the evidences are very clear and it showed very clear that everything that should work on that day worked except INEC. The integrity of INEC as an institution went on exile.”

INEC’s spokesman, Festus Okoye, had attributed the failure of the Bimodal Voter Registration Systems (BVAS) to transmit results of the presidential election in real-time to the commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to “technical glitch.”

Okoye, in his defence, had said IReV portal worked for the National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly polls.

But, Farotimi , an ally of Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who came third in the poll, said INEC said Okoye should have offered an apology to Nigerians for the failure of the electoral umpire to fulfill its promise to transmit election results electronically all through the polls.

The Labour Party stalwart said INEC’s explanation on the technical glitch that characterised the February 25 presidential poll was at variance with common sense.

He said, “INEC is a public body established by law and bound to work according to the law. It advertised its guidelines…the advertisement of BVAS and IReV and everything. INEC was quite vociferous in explaining to Nigerians and assuring us of what would happen with the system.”

“In a sane environment where people are still governed by reason, the likes of Mr Festus Okoye should either have resigned or be somewhere writing a statement explaining to Nigerians what happened.

“Glitch? Is it a glitch in human brain? A glitch in the technical system or a glitch occasioned by the complete shutdown of human conscience?” he said.

Farotimi said Okoye’s explanation on the technical glitch that characterised the February 25 presidential poll was at variance with common sense.

Recall that Obi and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar are presently in court to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s declaration as winner of the poll by INEC.