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Raises Concern over Logistics Challenges
- Safiu Kehinde
Prof. Joash Amupitan, the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) chairman designate, has disclosed plan to audit the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) over the glitches experienced during the 2023 Presidential election.
Amupitan made this know while fielding questions during his screening at the Senate’s plenary session on Thursday.
Reacting to the question raised over the infamous glitch suffered by the portal during the 2023 general election, the nominee for the INEC chairmanship acknowledged the glitch which, according to him, eroded public confidence in the technology.
Amupitan however made clarifications on the functions of IReV which he maintained does not rule out the manual collation of election results.
“The purpose of introducing BVAS and IREV was to ensure the integrity of the election. And that is the purpose of technology all over the world.
“I believe what happened in 2023 which was subsumed as a glitch. Before we went into the election, on my own understanding and based on review of the decisions of the Supreme Court, we found that there was no clarity as to the purpose of IREV, not until the Supreme Court came to say that IREV was not an electronic collation system.
“And that position was not properly brought out before the election. IREV was supposed to be a safeguard for comparism because the laws made by this distinguished Senate does not do away with manual collation.
“However, IREV was supposed to provide some guarantees and checks and balances.
“But going to the issues of glitches which is simple time, I understand as improper configuration especially during the Presidential election. That eroded the confidence of so many people.
“As his excellency, the Senate President, said, I have to audit the system if I’m given the opportunity to see what is actually wrong and whether we have what it takes as it is now because it is not just the INEC responsibility alone.
“You have other agencies like NCC, NIMC, and the service providers. We have to work together to ensure that we give Nigerians a technology that everybody will be happy about.
“There will definitely be an audit of the system and especially the logisitic of the election itself and ensure that the proper strategy is put in place.” He said.
Amupitan also raised concern over the logistics challenges facing the electoral body.
“We rely on third party logistic to transport sensitive election materials. Some of the vehicles, when you see them, they are old and they don’t even go far.
“And when the drop the materials, they don’t even remain to bring back.
“So, when they abandon the voting and the results and collation is to be made, you now have to be hiring machines. We need to take it serious.” The INEC Chairman said.
Amupitan called for investment in logistics, suggesting the deployment of drones for the transportation of election materials to remote areas.