2023: Our Election Collation Procedures Remain Unchanged – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has denied changing its electoral guidelines ahead of next year’s general election with particular references to transmission and collation of results.

According to the Commission, the electronic transmission of results which entails uploading polling units-level results to a secure web portal has come to stay, adding that INEC will not deviate from the procedures it used in recent off-season state elections.

INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye disclosed this on Sunday in reaction to an earlier report which quoted him as saying that the commission will not use electronic collation in the general election.

While the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) provides for electronic transmission of results, however, like those before it, the law does not mandate the commission to collate results electronically.

Urging Nigerians not to be carried away by screaming news headlines, the commission advised a careful reading of the law with respect to post-election procedures.

Okoye said; “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.

“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.

“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.