2023: INEC Denies Opting For Manual Collation, Says Electronic Transmission Of Results Has Come To Stay

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the Commission has not jettisoned the electronic transmission of election results and reverted to the manual process.

The Commission also said explanation on result management procedure to mean that the Commission has jettisoned the electronic transmission of results and reverted to the manual process is not correct.

A statement signed by the national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, reassured Nigerians that the electronic transmission of results has come to stay.

He said for clarity, the procedure for result transmission remains the same as in recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States.

The statement titled, “Clarification On Electronic Transmission Of Election Result” added that there will be no change in all future elections, including the 2023 General Election.

Okoye also appealed to all Nigerians to avail themselves of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Commission’s detailed explanation of the procedure and not to reach a conclusion based on media headlines.

The statement reads in parts: “The Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) attention has been drawn to a misunderstanding arising from a recent short interview granted to a national newspaper on the procedure for result management during elections.

“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.

“We wish to reassure Nigerians that the electronic transmission of result has come to stay. It adds to the credibility and transparency of the 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 provision of the law, he said the Commission in April this year, released a detailed clarification of the procedure for transmission, collation and declaration of election results, which was shared with all stakeholders and uploaded to its website.