INEC: We’ll now transmit accreditation figures, results simultaneously

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says accreditation figures and results will now be transmitted simultaneously on election day.

Speaking to journalists after monitoring mock accreditations in some polling units in Abuja, on Saturday, Yakubu said such simultaneous transmission would ensure the figures correlate.

He said although the commission would not comment on the court judgement of the Osun governorship election because it amounts to subjudice, it has learnt some lessons.

“However, in every situation, the commission learns, carries the experience from what has happened to improve the processes for the next election,” the INEC chairman said.

“We have learned some lessons from what happened and one of the lessons is to be able to transmit the accreditation data.”

He said INEC created a new uniform resource locator (URL) on its results viewing portal where both the accreditation figure and results could be viewed.

“We are going to transmit both the accreditation figures and the results on election day,” he said.

“We are giving assurance to Nigerians that on election day, both the accredited data and the actual votes cast will be transmitted simultaneously and accurately.”

“We have also made contingency arrangements like we will do on election day, that there is a spare machine in case and in the unlikely event of a malfunction, we will be able to respond and fix the machines.”

Meanwhile, speaking with TheCable, Rotimi Oyekanmi, spokesperson to the INEC chairman, said this is the first time the commission will begin to transmit accreditation data.

“We’ll upload the result sheet like before and then the accreditation data of each polling unit will also be uploaded so that people can match the number of those accredited to the number of votes cast,” he said.