#NigeriaDecides2023: PDP to INEC: Transmit polling unit election results to server

Dino Melaye, the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has raised the alarm over the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results from the polling units to its iREV server.

Mr Melaye, who also serves as the PDP agent, said at the INEC collation centre in Abuja on Monday that failure to transmit such results gives room for bypassing the electoral process.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Melaye had earlier on Monday, said the PDP could reject the result of the election because of the failure of INEC to transmit the results.

Speaking to journalists, the former lawmaker noted that “in accordance with the provision of the Electoral Act, sections 60 and 64 as amended, that there would be transmissions of results from the polling units directly to the server.

“And we found out that this has not been done,” Mr Melaye said. “INEC failed in this regard.”

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As part of the process of improving the transparency of the elections, INEC had promised Nigerians that results from each polling unit would be transmitted in real-time to the iREV portal after they are declared at the polling unit.

However, that was not done on election day and many of the results of the election have still not been uploaded.

INEC has blamed the problem on technical issues, saying there was no compromise of its server.

However, the PDP now see the that apparent failure by INEC as something that has affected the integrity of the elections.

He said he was invaded vehemently by the INEC chairman when he raised the issue and stated that what section 47(3) emphasised is that wherever the card reader or the BVAS failed, you cannot get a replacement and elections should be cancelled in those areas.

Mr Melaye also complained about the inadequacies with the BVAS machine.

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“Now we have seen from the presentation of results from Ekiti that some places were cancelled as a result of bypassing BVAS,” he said. “So, the only way to know that BVAS has been bypassed is for us to see the uploaded results. And we have insisted that the chairman should show us here now the uploaded results state by state.”

“We’re not here to rubber-stamp infractions; we will not allow the continuation of failure. And the INEC chairman is putting his integrity to the test.”