The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that its results viewing portal, IReV, is not a result collection or transmission system but rather a tool to enhance election transparency.
INEC Director of ICT, Paul Omokore, made this clarification during a two-day capacity workshop for journalists on Monday in Akwanga, Nasarawa State.
Omokore explained that INEC uses the IReV portal to upload pictures of polling unit results on Form EC8A for public viewing. This does not translate to electronic transmission of results, he said.
“Form EC8A is the result that we collated at the PUs. We use BVAS to snap this form and upload the same thing to the IReV portal for public viewing,” he said.
“This is not a collecting system. It does not tally a system. What it does is snap the EC8A, which is the result at the polling unit, and upload the same to the public. That is all.”
Omokore also emphasised that the IReV portal is not a substitute for the manual collation of results at the collation centres.
“From the inception of elections in Nigeria, results were transmitted manually from the PUs to the collation centres,” he said.
“Technology deployment has proven to be an effective tool in achieving free, fair, and credible elections. However, the manual collation of results remains an important part of the electoral process.”
Omokore added that INEC is committed to ensuring that the upcoming governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo states are free, fair, and credible. He urged journalists to play their role in educating the public about the electoral process and to report accurately on the elections.
