As parts of efforts to further strengthen the election management process, the Independent National Electoral Commission has introduced an election result viewing portal.
In a statement issued by the commission’s spokesman, it was revealed that the portal is a new step to further enhance the transparency of the electoral system in Nigeria.
The statement noted that the portal will enable citizens to view results and project the outcome of elections, even before the final results are announced.
INEC spokesperson went on to note that the use of the portal will start with the Nasarawa Central Constituency election after which it will also be deployed in Edo and Ondo governorship polls.
The Statement Reads:
“INEC is determined to address any source of this concern through enhancing the level of transparency in the conduct of elections, more so in the process of releasing results of elections.
“It is a fundamental principle of democracy that in elections, votes are not only correctly counted, but that they also count.
“Consistent with its commitment to transparency in election management, the commission introduced the Form EC60E, which was a poster version of the primary result sheet, the Form EC8A.
“This replica of the polling unit result is pasted at the polling units after votes are counted, recorded and announced.
“This poster, now widely known as the People’s Form EC8A, has increased transparency in result management.
“The form enables the citizens to photograph the results and project the outcome of elections, even before the final results are announced.
“Unfortunately, this has also led to abuses, as unofficial and at times false results are known to have been circulated, particularly via social media, causing tension and casting aspersions on the final outcome of elections.
“To further strengthen the transparency in the election result management system, the commission has decided to introduce a dedicated public portal, the INEC RESULT VIEWING (IReV), that will enable Nigerians to view polling unit results real time as the voting ends on election day.
“The commission wishes to emphasise that this does not constitute electronic collation of results.
“The collation of election results shall remain as provided for by law, a manual process of completion of relevant result sheets and their upwards collation until the final results are determined.
“This innovation will begin from the Nasarawa Central state constituency bye-election.
“Thereafter it will be extended to the Edo and Ondo State governorship elections as well as all subsequent elections.
“The commission hopes that this innovation will improve the transparency in election result management and therefore further consolidate public confidence in the electoral process.”
(C) Control TV 2020.
