INEC Dismisses Claims of Discrepancies in Election Results
The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims of discrepancies between the results on its website and those presented by returning officers at the National Collation Centre, which were broadcast live.
In a letter dated August 15, INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, dismissed the claims, stating that there were no differences in the number of polling units and registered voters in the listed states.
The commission maintained that the total number of polling units and registered voters remained as announced by the commission. INEC also stated that it does not announce election results on YouTube, adding that the 2023 presidential election results were announced at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, in the presence of stakeholders, including the media.
The commission said that the Returning Officers of the 36 States of the FCT are required to present their presidential election result individually to the Chief Returning Officer of the Federation for the Presidential election, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who is also the INEC Chairman.
INEC stated that there were no contradictions in the video clips, and that the Returning Officer, in each clip, announced in descending order, the total valid votes, rejected votes, total votes cast, cancelled votes (if any), the specific areas where such votes were cancelled, and where the election did not hold with reasons.
The commission also stated that the centre did not disaggregate and articulate its data in the other listed examples-Imo, Edo, Delta, Lagos, Cross River, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Abia and Zamfara States.
INEC added that its comprehensive 468-page Report of the 2023 General Election officially released in March 2024 and immediately uploaded to its website www.inecnigeria.org, already provided answers to the raised questions by the centre.
The commission advised the centre to read the full details on its website www.inecnigeria.org.
INEC pledged to continue to improve its processes and procedures after every election.
The centre relying on Freedom of Information Act in its letter dated August 7 sought INEC clarification on “discrepancies between the election results announced on YouTube by INEC compared with the results from the election papers uploaded into IREV.”
The centre alleged that “overall, in the broadcasted announcements, INEC reported 1,578 polling units (PUs) where voting was canceled because of irregularities.
However, INEC insisted that there were no differences in the number of polling units and registered voters in the listed states, and that the total number of polling units and registered voters remains as announced by the commission.
It stated that the result of an election may be cancelled for specific reasons, including violence, over-voting and refusal to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), as stipulated in the extant laws.
The commission added that its comprehensive 468-page Report of the 2023 General Election officially released in March 2024 and immediately uploaded to its website www.inecnigeria.org, already provided answers to the raised questions by the centre.
The results of the 2023 Presidential election presented by INEC’s 36 State Returning Officers and the Returning Officer for the FCT at the National Collation Centre, Abuja are official and authentic, the commission said.
INEC urged the centre to read the full details on its website www.inecnigeria.org.
