2023: PDP, APC trade words over BVAS, IReV
By Tunde Opalana, and Tom Okpe
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday, exchanged hot words over the electronic transmission of results through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing portal (IReV).
The Daily Times recalls that the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu at a meeting with the Commonwealth pre-election delegation on Wednesday at the party Secretariat was quoted to have expressed ‘worries over electronic transmission of election results from polling units at the 2023 general election.’
While the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation of the PDP said the ruling APC has started expressing frustration of possible defeat ahead of the 2023 general election by its rejection of electronic transmission of results through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing portal (IReV), the APC denied reports credited to it that it is against deployment of BVAS, electronic transmission of results (INEC result Viewing Portal (IReV) in the 2023 general election.
The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation of the PDP said the rejection of electronic transmission of results through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing portal (IReV) by the APC confirmed that the ruling party and its Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, do not have genuine followership among Nigerians ahead of the 2023 elections.
The Atiku Campaign maintained that the APC has realised that given its mass failures across the spectrum of the nation’s polity, it does not enjoy the support of Nigerians and as such is scared of any process that will deliver a credible balloting in the elections.
Spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement Thursday said APC’s mortal fear of mass rejection at the polls is directly behind its unnecessary tantrums against the electronic transmission of results.
“It is abundantly clear that the APC’s plan is to return our electoral process to the days of mass rigging through the use Incidence Forms, ballot box snatching, ballot stuffing and other electoral malpractices.
“Having become frustrated because of the introduction of technology to improve the electoral process, the APC is seeking ways to manipulate the elections to enable it to re-enact the horrible electoral seasons of its devious act of holding electoral officers by their jugulars and forcing them to write results for APC candidates.
“The APC will desire to deploy the use of armed helicopters in order to chase away Nigerians from their polling stations so as to write results and force same on INEC officials,” he said.
The Atiku/Okowa Campaign urged Nigerians to remain vigilant on the decision reached by INEC to promote the integrity of our electoral process.
“The only option left for the APC is to accept the reality of its rejection and quietly fizzle away from our political firmament.
“After all, the APC has since lost the statutory integrity to field candidates in the 2023 general elections due to its illegal and unconstitutional congresses,” the campaign council added.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied reports credited to it that it is against deployment of BVAS, electronic transmission of results in the 2023 general election.
The National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu at a meeting with the Commonwealth pre-election delegation on Wednesday at the party Secretariat was quoted to have expressed ‘worries over electronic transmission of election results from polling units at the 2023 general election.’
But at a press briefing on Thursday, national publicity secretary of the party, Barr Felix Morka said Adamu was grossly misquoted on deployment of BVAS.
He said: “To be clear, Chairman Adamu did not kick against deployment of BVAS or electronic transmission of results as erroneously reported by sections of the media.
“A section of the media is awash with comments credited to the National Chairman of the APC, Adamu on deployment of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, (BVAS) and the Results Viewing Portal, (IReV) otherwise known as electronic transmission of election results, for the 2023 general elections.
“Media reports that Chairman Adamu kicked against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s decision to deploy BVAS and electronic transmission of results is patently false, and constitutes an unfair misrepresentation of the National Chairman’s comments.
“At a meeting with the Commonwealth pre-election delegation, on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 in response to a question regarding the country’s preparations for next year’s election, the National Chairman noted that while preparations were in top gear, he tasked INEC to take effective steps to bridge any gap that may be created by electricity and telecommunications network challenges in certain outlying voting districts in the country, to ensure smooth and successful deployment of BVAS and other technologies to enable a free and transparent elections.”
According to Morka, the party administration of President Muhammadu Buhari midwifed successful reform of the Electoral Act adding that “the introduction of BVAS among other technological innovation, superintended the conduct of credible, free, fair and transparent elections in Edo, Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States.
“Our Party and Government remain committed to the highest levels of electoral transparency and democratic consolidation in our country,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied purported plan to jettison accessibility to election results.
Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, described as fake, reports in some section of the media claiming that the Commission plans to jettison the INEC Result Viewing Portal for the 2023 General Election.
He said the innovation was a brain child of the Commission and there was no way it would turn around to undermine itself, and reaffirmed that technology in enhancing the integrity of elections was here to stay.
The INEC Chairman made the clarification when he received the Commonwealth Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Nigeria, led by the Commonwealth Adviser and Head of Africa Section, Political Team, Ms. Abiola Sunmonu, at the INEC Headquarters, Abuja, on Wednesday.
Prof. Yakubu who was appreciative of the contributions of the Commonwealth Observation Mission to the deepening of democracy through their progressive recommendations after the 2019 General Election, assured Nigerians and the international community of INEC’s commitment towards safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process and delivering the best election ever in the history of Nigeria.
He equally used the opportunity to address some insinuations emanating from a section of the Media alleging plans by the Commission to jettison the real-time upload of polling unit results to the INEC result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Prof. Yakubu said: “Let me seize this opportunity to respond to a story emanating from a section of the media that the Commission has decided to jettison the uploading of the polling unit results real time on election day. It should please be disregarded as fake news.”
“The Commission will upload polling unit results and citizens will have real-time access as we upload from polling units. This innovation was introduced by the Commission and it cannot turn around to undermine itself, this technology has come to stay. We are serving the citizens, how can we deny citizens access to the results of a process conducted by them at the level of polling units?”, he said.
Harping on the progressive recommendations of the Commonwealth Observation team and its impact on the electoral process, the INEC Chairman said: “We have always benefited from the insight of the Common-wealth. Nigeria is a proud member of the Common-wealth. I recall that in 2019 we benefited from the report submitted after the election.”
“As you can see from the engagements we have had so far, we have taken those recommendations very seriously and that has been factored into the preparations for the 2023 General Election, particularly for the improvement to the electoral legal framework. We have a brand-new law in Nigeria called the Electoral Act 2022.It is IT friendly, and perhaps the most progressive of legislation as far as elections in Nigeria are concerned.”
“The law has enabled the Commission to deploy technology in elections and is also very strong on inclusivity, particularly on provision of assistive devices for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), is now a legal requirement as far as resources permit.
“As a Commission, we have been deploying some of these devices in the off-season elections in preparation for the General Election, we have introduced the braille ballot guide that enables the visually impaired to vote unassisted, and for those with albinism we introduced the magnifying glasses, and for the deaf we have posters.”
The INEC Chairman said: “I want to assure you and reassure you that the 2023 General Election is going to be our best ever. We are committed that the votes cast by Nigerians will determine the outcome of elections, nothing more, nothing less”.
Earlier, the Leader of the delegation, Ms. Abiola Sunmonu, said that the team was in Nigeria on a Pre-Election assessment mission. She explained that they were in the Commission essentially to understand and appreciate the preparation of Nigerian stakeholders for the 2023 General Election and will be meeting with the Political Parties, Civil Society, the Government and the Media.
Ms. Sunmonu stressed that engaging with Nigeria’s electoral stakeholders was very important for the Common-wealth due to the country’s strategic place in Africa and the world, adding that the world is interested in what goes on in Nigeria.
