As the country inches towards the 2023 general elections, it would appear that e-transmission has already restored power to Nigerians to choose their leaders in 2023 and beyond.
Mike Igini, former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who had a running Battle against ballot snatching, rigging, and physical threats on the job, made the declaration on Arise TV, expressing confidence that the e-transmission of results mandated in the Electoral Act 2022 was water-tight and now made it impossible for elections to be rigged.
Said Igini: “The [e-transmission] results are sent to the cloud … anyone who wants to hack it should get a ladder and go to the cloud”.
He explained that the Presiding Officer in each polling unit would make duplicates of results for party agents which could be compared with the results uploaded to the cloud and are accessible to all Nigerians.
Declared he: “Nigerians, power has been restored to you”.
Igini advised each political party to set up a Situation Room to monitor e-transmission of results as they are being uploaded to the cloud after the completion of voting and vote counting in each polling unit.
In a related development, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and e-transmission of results will be strictly adhered to in the 2023 ballot to prevent rigging, INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu himself has reiterated.
He gave the assurance at a workshop INEC organised in Lagos for its press corps members on the Electoral Act 2022 and on INEC processes, innovations, and preparations for the 2023 general elections.
Yakubu was dousing concern expressed in September by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) which alleged secret plans by politicians to stop BVAS and e-transmission of results to enable them rig the vote.
CUPP also alleged a lawsuit had been filed at the Owerri Federal High Court to perfect the plot.
Yakubu, represented by INEC National Commissioner and Information and Voter Education Committee Chairman, Festus Okoye, insisted that the goal of INEC was electoral justice to ensure voters have electoral fulfilment.
He pledged that INEC would continue to use technology to improve and enhance the credibility of elections.
Said Yakubu: “The Commission is conscious that a credible voter register is a basic requirement for the conduct of a credible election. We have therefore devoted time and energy to cleaning up of the voter register using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
“This process is almost finalised and the Commission will engage with stakeholders relating to its findings before displaying the register for claims and objections as required by law.
“Furthermore, the Commission is working out a protocol for seamless collection of Permanent Voters Cards [PVCs] by valid registrants.
“I want to assure Nigerians that the Commission will deploy and continue to deploy appropriate technology for the conduct of elections.
“The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IreV) will be deployed for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
“We will continue to use technology to improve and enhance the credibility of elections in Nigeria. Our goal is electoral justice where every Nigerian will experience electoral fulfilment”.
