- Unbundling Necessary For Improved Efficiency, Says Senate
- Electronic Transmission Mandatory In 2027
- INEC Denies Configuring BVAS To Favour Particular Candidate In Kogi
Following the outcry that has continued to trail the conduct of the 2023 General Election in Nigeria, the Nigerian Senate has offered suggestions on how the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can be positioned for an efficient, effective performance in subsequent elections.
The Matrix reports that ahead of the last general election, the commission had promised prompt upload of polling station results to iRev. However, it delayed in doing so, a situation it blamed on an unforeseen system glitch.
The failure of INEC to upload the results of the 25 February presidential election promptly on its portal formed a major kernel of the petitions filed by the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and the Labour Party (LP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, at the Presidential Election Petition Court challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All-Progressives Congress (APC).
However, rising from a retreat organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILDS) for the Senate, the Upper Chamber proposed some measures to make INEC more effective including the bundling of the electoral body, diasporan voting and the mandatory electronic transmission of the result of the next general elections in 2027 including the uploading of polling unit-level results and result sheets used at different levels of result collation
All these suggestions were included in the communiqué issued by the Upper Chamber at the end of its retreat in Ikot Ikpene, Akwa-Ibom State.
“INEC should be unbundled to improve its efficiency and effectiveness in the preparation and conduct of elections.
“Relating to the use of technology in elections, remove the ambiguity evident in Section 64 of the EA22. Also, make electronic transmission of results mandatory from the next general elections in 2027, including the uploading of polling unit-level results and result sheets used at different levels of result collation.
“Introduce diaspora voting, at least for presidential elections, to enable citizens to vote, especially those on essential service abroad, such as military, paramilitary, and other security personnel abroad, Embassy staff, and other citizens.
“Relating to political parties; stipulate sanctions for failure to submit the register of party members not later than 30 days before the date of party primaries, congresses, or conventions in relation to Section 77(3) EA22, which the political parties have observed in the breach in the 2023 elections without penalty,” the communique read.
Meanwhile, ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Kogi, the electoral body has denied reconfiguring the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) to favour a political party’s candidate in the state.
BVAS is the machine used to accredit voters using their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and fingerprints or face recognition technology.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) had through the Director of New Media for the Kogi State Governorship Campaign Council, Isaiah Ijele, accused some members of staff of INEC of plotting to manipulate the BVAS machines to be used for the governorship elections.
He claimed the Kogi State Government lodged three members of staff of the commission at the government house since Wednesday and are involved in the reconfiguration of some personalised BVAS machines to be merged with INEC’s deployment in specific regions such as Okene, Adavi, and Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
But in a statement, the spokesperson to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the allegations were untrue. He called on political parties to “desist from engaging in malicious rumour-mongering of this nature.”
Oyekanmi, however, said that the configuration of BVAS was done simultaneously and exclusively in INEC offices in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi by teams deployed from the national headquarters, Abuja.
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“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a statement signed by ID Ijele, Director of New Media of the SDP Governorship campaign team in Kogi State. The statement alleged that three staff of INEC are right now maliciously reconfiguring the BVAS machines in the Government House, Lokoja, with the intention of manipulating the forthcoming Governorship election in a part of the State in favour of a candidate.
The story is untrue. The three persons mentioned are not associated with the configuration of the BVAS machines and not even in Kogi State at the moment. Mr. Nicholas Ocholi is on his duty post in our Ondo State office in Akure. Ibrahim Egbunu is attending to a very close family member hospitalised in Abuja. Mohammed Adara retired last year and is no longer a staff of the Commission.
The configuration of BVAS is done simultaneously and exclusively in our offices in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States professionally and strictly handled by teams deployed from the national HQ, Abuja.
The public is advised to disregard the story as fake news. At the same time, the Commission appeals to political parties to desist from engaging in malicious rumour-mongering of this nature” the statement said.
