E-Transmission Of Election Results Has Come To Stay – INEC

The results of the general elections in 2023 will be communicated electronically, according to a pledge made on Wednesday by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman.

Stakeholders have urged an improvement in the use of technology in the nation’s electoral procedures to solve problems seen in prior elections.

The National Assembly ammended the Electoral Act in light of this situation. The Election Act 2022 was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 25 following National Assembly approval.

Section 52(2) of the Act says: “Subject to Section 63 of this bill, voting at an election and transmission of results under this bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the commission (INEC), which may include electronic voting.”

The head of INEC stated on Wednesday in Abuja that moving ahead, the electoral body would submit election results online. Media Trust Group is the owner of the Daily Trust publications and Trust TV.

Yakubu, told the delegation that the transmission of elections results from the polling units (PUs) would be a permanent feature in the nation’s electoral processes.

“Yes, it is going to be permanent in all elections conducted by the commission going forward. But I wish to draw your attention to the fact that we did not start the electronic transmission, at least, from the polling units to the IReV Portal, in Anambra or FCT elections.

“It was actually on August 2020 that we deployed that for the Nasarawa Central State Constituency by-election, the first election conducted under COVID-19. So, if you look at the IReV Portal, you could see all the results from the 2020 to the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and all the other by-elections we conducted,” Yakubu said.