- INEC Denies Plan for Real Time Transmission in FCT Council Polls
- Commission says BVAS supports result upload after counting.
- INEC urges media to avoid technical misrepresentation.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has debunked reports that it plans to transmit results of the February 21 Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections in real time.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the clarification was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, Adedayo Oketola. He stated that at no time did the chairman promise real time transmission of results for the forthcoming polls.
Oketola cautioned that the use of the term real time amounts to a technical misrepresentation of the commission’s established procedures. He explained that while technology remains central to the conduct of the elections, the chairman did not use the phrase during his engagement with journalists.
According to the commission, the expression real time suggests a live and simultaneous feed of votes as they are cast, a process not supported by Nigeria’s current legal framework or INEC’s operational guidelines.
Quoting the chairman, the statement read, “Since 2022, INEC has been transmitting results. We have the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS, and BVAS is capable of accrediting and also uploading and transmitting the results. So definitely, the results will be transmitted”.
INEC maintained that electronic upload of scanned Polling Unit results, Form EC8A, to the IReV portal occurs only after voting has ended, ballots have been manually counted and result sheets signed by party agents, in line with the Electoral Act and its regulations.
The commission urged media organisations to avoid misrepresenting technical processes, warning that inaccurate reporting could cause public agitation and misinformation. It, however, reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a transparent and technology driven election in the FCT.
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