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Ogun state African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Hon Olujobi Ezekiel Fayoyin have condemned the decision of the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)to collate the election result of 2023 manually.
Hon Fayoyin said this in a release sent to Infolitenews earlier today in response to the INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye declaration on how the election result will be collated in 2023 election.
Okoye said yesterday that the commission would transmit results from polling units to its result-viewing portal, IReV, as witnessed in recent elections, but that the Electoral Act was clear on how collation should be done.
The INEC National Commission added that, “There is a marked difference between the transfer/transmission of results and the collation of results. Section 50(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 gives the commission the absolute discretion to determine the mode and procedure of voting in an election and the transmission of election results.
“Sections 60 and 62 of the Electoral Act govern post-election procedure and collation of election results. Section 60(1) of the Act provides that the presiding officer shall, after counting the votes at a polling unit, enter the votes scored by each candidate in a form to be prescribed by the commission.”
Hon Fayoyin said categorically that the manual process should be for documentation, not needed to authenticate the result of the election, since the election result will be sent electronically, that any attempt to bring any manual process is an introduction of rigging process.
He said ,”election results counted and verified by INEC polling officers and Presiding officers, confirmed by party agents transmitted electronically should be enough. If the process is not accepted, it will create room for manipulation and rigging, especially during movement of polling materials as we witnessed in the last election .”
Hon Fayoyin explained that Section 50(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 that gives the commission the absolute discretion to determine the mode and procedure of voting in an election and the transmission of election results, did not indicate that the transmitted result can not be adopted until manual counting is done.
He called on well meaning Nigerians to protect their vote and do all that is possible to avoid rigging in the forthcoming general election. He said the situation of the country called for total overhaul of the political process, and make life meaningful to ordinary citizens.
Hon Fayoyin also called on the good people of Ogun state to support ADC and all its candidates in the forthcoming general election.