2023: You’ll be proud of commission, INEC assures Nigerians

Ini Billie, Uyo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has assured Nigerians that they would be proud of the commission in 2023.

Speaking on Tuesday in Uyo during a one-day capacity building for journalists in the South-South on the theme: “Conflict Sensitive Reporting and 2023 General Elections, INEC’s Director for ICT, Engr Cosmas Esoha, said the commission has put in place measures to ensure credible elections devoid of any form of rigging or result manipulations.

While speaking on INEC’s New Technologies for the 2023 General Election, Esoha noted that the adoption of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) among other technologies would ensure that the elections were credible, and renew the confidence of Nigerians in the commission.

He added that the new technologies would ensure transparency and accountability, public audit and verification of results, electronic accreditation and computation of results free of human error among other things.

He urged Nigerians not to be afraid of INEC’s website being hacked, saying the technological measures in place would make hacking difficult.

The commission announced that collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will end on January 22, 2023, and encouraged the public to ensure they collect their PVCs as no Voter would be allowed to vote without a PVC.

In a communique released after the workshop, the forum noted that some sections of the Electoral Act 2022 were misinterpreted by media houses, and advised media organisations to seek clarifications about provisions in the Act to avoid misleading the public.

It further cautioned electoral stakeholders and actors against inciteful statements capable of breaching public peace, order and harmony during the 2023 elections.

“Lauded INEC for the introduction of technology such as the Bi-modal Voters Authentication System (BIVAS), INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV), and online biodata registration of ad hoc personnel recruited for the election, urged the Commission to ensure strict audit of activities of her personnel who will be involved in the electoral processes to nip in the bud all forms of electoral malpractices.

“INEC was urged to ensure close collaboration with security agencies to ensure the protection of journalists, stakeholders and actors who will be working on election matters as well voters, particularly in riverine areas which may be vulnerable to attacks.

“INEC assured persons who transferred their registration to the State, applied for change of polling units, and those who applied for renewal of defaced PVCs, that their cards will be ready for collection at the respective INEC offices in their LGAs from Monday 12th December 2022.

“INEC announced the collection of Permanent Voter Cards will end on January 22, 2023, and media houses should continue sensitising the public on matters relating to the elections,” the communique stated.