The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the Kogi State November 11 governorship results will be transmitted electronically directly from polling units to its server.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kogi, Prof Gabriel Longpet, disclosed this at a two-day media roundtable Engagement on the Kogi election Organized by the Independent Press Center, IPC in Abuja.
Prof. Longpet said the electronic transmission of the results would help to eliminate rigging, electoral fraud and other irregularities and to ensure the enthronement of credibility and transparency in the electoral process.
According to Vanguard, Longpet also assured that the issues of insecurity that characterised the 2019 governorship election have been critically analysed and dealt with, urging Koginelectorates to come out and vote as the election will be volatile free.
“Of course, we will be transmitting the Kogi election electronically. A lot of infractions do happen between the polling units and the collation centre; the transmission of the results through electronic methods will definitely prevent such issues of infractions from occurring.
“By the electoral acts, any results figures on form EC8A that appeared mutilated cannot be allowed. If results are transmitted electronically to the IREV, there will be no need for results to be hijacked in the first place, mutilated or changed.”
The state REC reiterated that the 2023 Kogi guber poll ‘will be by the poll and not by the gun”, assuring that the commission will do everything to ensure that votes count and that those who will emerge will emerge through popular votes.
“We have only one message and the message is that you come out to exercise your franchise,” he said.
The programme is being implemented by the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, lead implementing partner of Component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria EUSDGN (11) Project, holding at Treasures Suites & Conferences, Abuja.