Our Reporter, Abuja
There was a sense of public relief as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Sunday clarified its position, insisting that it has not jettisoned its earlier plans of transmitting the results of the the 2023 general election electronically.
The clarification was needed after an interview granted to a national newspaper by Festus Okoye himself gave the impression that INEC would abandon electronic transmission of results in 2023.
But in swift reaction, Mr Festus Okoye, the INEC commissioner in charge of information and voter education committee in a statement debunked the suggestion describing what happened as “misunderstanding arising from a recent short interview granted to a national newspaper on the procedure for results management during elections.”
Okoye said nothing has changed as the same procedure used in the transmission of results in the recent Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections will also be used in the 2023 general election.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
“We appeal to all Nigerians to avail themselves of the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Commission’s detailed explanation of the procedure and not reach a conclusion on the basis of media headlines,” Okoye added.
