The Nigerian government has said the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, never promised to transmit election results electronically.
This was disclosed by the minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in London when he concluded his engagements and meetings with the media houses and policy institutes.
The minister was asked whether the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu fulfilled his promise made at the Chatham House in January to deliver free, fair, credible polls and letting the people’s votes count.
Mohammed said the INEC chairman walked his talk on the promise.
He explained that contrary to the belief out there, the INEC Chairman did not promise that he was going to transmit elections electronically.
“Our laws today say all election management system is done physically and manually. There is this misunderstanding about the INEC Result Viewing Centre (IREV).
“IREV is not about collation and transmission of election. It is a platform for transparency to ensure that whatever is entered into Form EC8A is transmitted into IREV so that everyone can see it,” he said.
However, the current position of the FG is very strange because evidences abound of the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu making such promise to Nigerians and clause 38 of the guidelines for the 2023 general election stipulates transmission of election results from the polling unit electronically.
Also, in a November 11th, 2022 press statement the electoral body debunked the news that it was planning to do away with the electronic transmission of results.
Credit: The Nigeria Lawyers