Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria have implored the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adhere to its renewed pledge to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) next Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.
The position of the CSOs followed the assurance by the nation’s electoral body to Nigerians yesterday that it would use the BVAS in the governorship and state legislature polls billed for March 11, 2023.
INEC also banned all staff allegedly found to be negligent, whether regular or ad hoc officials, including collation and returning officers (ROs), during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections from participating in the March 11 governorship and state assembly elections.
Taking it up with the electoral umpire from there, the CSOs urged the commission not to disappoint Nigerians on the resolve to use technology in the transmission of election results.
After several promises in the build up to the 2023 polls, INEC penultimate Saturday flouted its promise of transmitting the presidential and the National Assembly elections results in real time and at the polling units.
The commission’s failure to transmit the election results electronically generated much controversy in the aftermath of the polls, leading to the election results being challenged in court.
But in order not to discourage Nigerians from turning out to vote in the gubernatorial and state assembly elections taking place in 28 states this coming Saturday, INEC reassured Nigerians that it would use electronic devices for voting and transmission of the election results.
But reactions have continued to trail INEC’s plan for the gubernatorial election with Civil Society Organisations insisting yesterday that the position of the law is that the commission must transfer the election results electronically and in real time.
The CSOs that spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday are Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Transparency International (TI), the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Yiaga Africa.
Leader of TMG, TI, and CISLAC, Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, said INEC has no excuse to disappoint Nigerians again in the forthcoming gubernatorial and state assembly elections on the transmission of the election results electronically.
2023 Elections: INEC Bars Negligent Staff From Gov’ship Poll, Assures Use Of BVAS
“It is very encouraging to hear this from INEC. That is the requirement of the law,” Rafsanjani said.
He noted that the pledge by INECto do the needful in terms of BVAS next Saturday will encourage Nigerians to vote and reduce voter apathy unlike what happened penultimate Saturday.
Rafsanjani stated, “The law requires INEC to transfer the election results electronically. That is the requirement of the law.
“It will boost the confidence and trust that Nigerians had in INEC before February 25. It will make Nigerians have a rethink of the last problem they created. A lot of Nigerians are not happy.
“After CSOs mobilise Nigerians, telling them the election results will be transferred electronically, INEC shattered such confidence and now, it will take a long time to build such trust if INEC does not correct that in the gubernatorial election.
“INEC should do the needful. INEC must ensure the BIVAS work in the gubernatorial elections. If Nigerians’ confidence is built in the next election, it will be good. The commission should not give a promise they can’t fulfill”.
Also, the executive director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said INEC has no excuse not to use the BIVAS for the accreditation of voters and the transmission of election results in real time in line with the position of the law.
“That is the position of the law,” Itodo said of the pledge by INEC to transmit the gubernatorial election results electronically.
“It is not INEC that should decide whether to transmit the election results electronically or not, The law says so and the commission should do that in the gubernatorial elections in real time,” Itodo said.
Also speaking, a youth leadership advocate, Dr Ademola Bayonle, said INEC must show commitment to its words in order not to discourage young Nigerians from voting.
“Many young Nigerians are now discouraged in the electoral process because of what INEC did in the last election. INEC must ensure it trains its staff and ensures that everything functions well,” Bayonle said.
Earlier yesterday INEC had also assured Nigerians that the BVAS will be used in the forthcoming governorship and state legislature elections.
The commission also banned all staff allegedly found to be negligent, whether regular or ad hoc officials, including collation and returning officers (ROs), during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, from participating in March 11 governorship and state assemblies elections.
INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this in Abuja at a meeting with the resident electoral commissioners (RECs) at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He noted that certificates of return will be presented to Senators-elect on Tuesday March 7, 2023 by 11:00am at the National Collation Centre (the International Conference Centre), Abuja, while members of the House of Representatives-elect will receive theirs the following day, Wednesday March 8, 2023, at 11:00am at the same venue.
He noted that in terms of party representation, this is the most diverse National Assembly since 1999.
He said that in the Senate APC has 57, APGA 1, LP 6, NNPP 2, PDP 29, SDP 2, YPP 1; while in the House of Representatives, ADC 2, APC 162, APGA 4, LP 34, NNPP 18, PDP 102, SDP 2, and YPP 1.
He said, “Certificates of Return will be presented to Senators-elect on Tuesday 7th March 2023 at 11.00am at the National Collation Centre (the International Conference Centre), Abuja, while Members of the House of Representatives-elect will receive theirs the following day, Wednesday 8th March 2023, at 11.00am at the same venue.
“However, for effective crowd management, each Senator/Member-elect should be accompanied by a maximum of two guests”.
He stressed the need to work harder to overcome the challenges experienced in the last election.
Yakubu said, “As we approach the governorship and state assembly elections, we must work harder to overcome the challenges experienced in the last election. Nothing else will be acceptable to Nigerians.
“All staff found to be negligent, whether they are regular or ad hoc officials, including collation and returning officers (ROs), must not be involved in forthcoming elections.
“RECs must also immediately initiate disciplinary action where prima facie evidence of wrongdoing has been established”.
He noted that Saturday’s meeting is the third in less than two months and that like the last two meetings, the purpose was to discuss the conduct of the 2023 general election arising from the presidential and National Assembly elections held a week ago, and with the governorship and state assembly elections taking place next week.”
The INEC boss said it was imperative to review performance and assess preparations.
No doubt, he said that last week’s presidential and National Assembly elections raised a number of issues that require immediate, medium, and long-term solutions.
He stated that the planning for the election was painstakingly done, adding that its implementation came with challenges, some of them unforeseen.
He said the issues of logistics, election technology, behaviour of some election personnel at different levels, attitude of some party agents and supporters, added to the extremely challenging environment in which elections are usually held in Nigeria.
He commended the sacrifice and doggedness of Nigerians and the dignity and maturity displayed by political leaders even in the context of divergent views about the election.
Yakubu said a lot of lessons have been learnt and that of immediate concern to the commission was how the identified challenges can be addressed as the nation approaches the concluding phase of the general election involving the largest number of constituencies being 28 state governorship elections and 993 state Houses of Assembly seats.
He further noted that in last Saturday’s elections, winners have been declared for 423 national legislative seats, while supplementary elections will be held in 46 constituencies.
According to him, in the Senate, 98 out of 109 seats have been declared, with seven political parties winning senatorial seats while in the House of Representatives, 325 out of 360 seats have been won by eight political parties.
The INEC chairman added that as the nation approaches the governorship and state assembly elections, the commission must work harder to overcome the challenges experienced in the last election as nothing else will be acceptable to Nigerians.
He said, “Election Day logistics must be finalised days before the election and handled by the Electoral Officers (EOs) at Local Government level. This has been our standard practice.
“Centralising the process as was done in some states resulted in delayed deployment of personnel and materials and late commencement of polls.
“RECs will be held responsible for any tardy arrangement or the failure to deploy electric power generators to collation centres or polling units where such facilities are needed.
“The commission has enough facilities in all the states of the federation. Failure to deploy them is simply inexcusable.”
Yakubu also said that refresher training must be conducted for ad hoc staff that participated in the last election.
He explained that where they are replaced for good reason, they must be properly trained so that processes are not delayed or compromised at any stage.
“Arising from last week’s election, the Commission has received reports from our State offices as well as complaints and petitions from political parties and candidates. Where infractions of any kind are proven, there will be redress. I must add that any action taken by the commission is without prejudice to the rights of parties and candidates to seek further remedy as provided by law”, he stated.
The INEC boss insisted that BVAS will once again be deployed for voter accreditation and result management.
“The deployment of BVAS has gone a long way to sanitise voter accreditation as can be seen from the result of recent elections. Since last week, the commission has intensified the review of the technology to ensure that glitches experienced, particularly with the upload of results are rectified. We are confident that going forward the system will run optimally,” Yakubu said.
He commended the patience and understanding of Nigerians and that the commission did not take this for granted.
“We equally appreciate the patriotism of political, traditional, religious, and community leaders that appealed for calm.
“Similarly, the commission appreciates the role of heads of election observation missions, some of whom are still in the country.
“We appeal to such missions to consider extending their observations to the Governorship and State Assembly elections not only because they form an integral part of the General Election for which they are accredited but also because they are as important as the national elections.
“In the same vein, the commission appreciates all domestic observers for their preliminary reports which will help us enormously as we conclude the 2023 general election.
“We look forward to the full reports. We similarly appreciate the media for the extensive coverage of the election and the analyses by informed Nigerians and friends of Nigeria on the processes,” he noted.
He, however, assured that the commission will continue to engage with the RECs and all segments of the Nigerian society in a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder review of the election in earnest.
