DAILY POST
As the nation gears up for the off-season elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States, Nigerians have expressed doubts over the integrity of the electoral process in the concerned states.
The development followed the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, recently that it plans to manually transmit the results of the forthcoming November 11 Bayelsa governorship election.
DAILY POST quoted the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, which reported that the State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr Obo Effanga, disclosed the commission’s decision in Yenagoa during an interactive meeting with religious leaders and faith-based organisations.
The REC, Effanga, during the interactive meeting also said that INEC was ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections and only voters accredited by BVAS would be allowed to vote.
“Immediately you are given the ballot paper you can start voting.
“We are in the fourth week of collection of PVCs and it will end on Oct. 11. Those who have not collected their cards should go to the INEC office in their local government areas,” he said.
The Commission’s decision has not gone down well with many Nigerians who have also described it as a serious setback.
DAILY POST recalls that before now, the INEC successfully deployed the BVAS and adopted electronic transmission of election results in Ekiti, Osun and Anambra States, which many described as the game changer. The success of application of technology in those elections contributed largely to the passage of the Electoral Act 2023.
Also, before the 2023 general elections, the electoral commission promised and assured Nigerians it would transmit the result electronically. But the promise never came to pass during the presidential election…
