Yiaga Africa, a leading civil society organization committed to fostering democracy and good governance in Nigeria, has voiced its dissatisfaction with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s explanation regarding the technical glitch that caused a delay in uploading presidential election results on the IReV platform – the commission’s election results viewing portal.
Samson Itodo, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, raised significant concerns about whether the error was merely accidental or stemmed from incompetence or negligence on the part of those managing the system.
During an interview on Channels TV, Itodo underscored the imperative for a thorough and transparent explanation of the error’s root cause. He emphasized the paramount importance of transparency and accountability, asserting that Nigerians deserved a more detailed and comprehensive clarification from INEC.
Itodo remarked, “Upon reviewing INEC’s explanation, which attributes the issue to an https error, some critical questions arise. While this sheds some light on the technical glitch, the statement lacks the necessary depth and specificity.”
He continued, “Crucial questions remain unanswered, such as whether this technological error was accidental or the result of mismanagement or neglect. While technical failures are not uncommon, accountability is essential. We need to understand how this occurred. The BIVAS machine is designed to capture result sheet images and upload them to a database. Ideally, the system should transfer the field results to the presidential election database for public viewing, based on the code developed by the software engineers.”
Itodo stressed the urgency for INEC to provide a detailed breakdown to the Nigerian populace, expressing dissatisfaction with the current level of clarity provided by the electoral commission.
