By-election: IReV performed well in Oyo, Jigawa, worse in Enugu, Kano

The preliminary election observation report by the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership has revealed that the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) performed optimally in some states and poorly in others during Saturday’s by-election conducted in 12 states.

In a statement released under the Athena Election Observatory (AEO), the organisation said it observed notable progress in real-time upload of results in Oyo and Jigawa, where 100 per cent of results had been uploaded in the IReV by 2:30 p.m., on Sunday, 24 hours after voting concluded.

The AEO said the uploads for the by-election in Kaduna, Edo, Ogun, and Anambra Senatorial Districts exceeded 95 per cent completion within the same period.

“This marks a positive shift towards greater transparency, enabling citizens and observers to independently verify results,” the statement signed by Sarah Eke, program lead, said.

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Poor uploads

The organisation, however, noted poor upload of election results in three other states, raising concerns about consistency across states.

It noted that only two per cent of the results had been uploaded for the Tsanyawa/Kunchi by-election in Kano State 24 hours later.

For the Enugu South, only six per cent were uploaded and 39 per cent in Kaura Namoda of Zamfara State.

It noted that such disparities undermine confidence and point to the need for stronger compliance mechanisms.

Beyond Polling Units Results

The AEO, however, called for improved transparency in the upload of results with a recommendation that ward collation results should also be uploaded alongside the polling units results.

As it currently is, election results are only uploaded to polling units by polling units.

It said publishing results at the ward level will allow stakeholders to track how polling unit figures are aggregated, reducing opportunities for manipulation during collation.

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It also called for the publication of accreditation reports as compiled by the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS).

“(It) will strengthen the credibility of voter turnout figures, help detect anomalies, and provide a second layer of verification for the announced results,” the statement said.

“The AEO urges INEC to consolidate current gains by mandating complete uploads of polling unit results, ward collation results, and BVAS accreditation reports on IReV. Only then can Nigeria’s elections achieve the integrity and trust the public demands.”