INEC will seek legal clarity on electronic transmission of results and may phase out PVC

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, said the commission would, among other things, seek to “clarify the law” in the management of election results with regard to manual transfer or electronic transmission election results.

Mr. Yakubu, a professor, disclosed this on Thursday during a meeting of the commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja.

He said this was part of the commission’s implementation of the recommendations contained in the 2023 general election report.

He said the commission is ready to begin implementing the recommendations after review and broad consultations with stakeholders in the electoral process as well as its staff members.

“Among the strengths of the commission’s recommendations is the need for legal clarity in the management of results, with regard to manual versus electronic transmission of results,” he said.

“Hard copies of the general election reports and review will be presented to the public shortly. The soft copy of the report will also be uploaded on our website for good,” he added.

Other reforms under consideration

According to Mr. Yakubu, some of the recommendations to be implemented include early voting for civil servants such as security personnel, polling agents, journalists and the phasing out of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) as the only means of voting. accreditation to vote.

Part of the recommendations concerns the unbundling of the CENI with the creation of an electoral offenses court and a separate agency to manage the registration and regulation of political parties, he said.

“Other areas for reform include advocating for affirmative action for greater participation by underrepresented groups, more robust voter education, and public communications to combat fake news and misinformation.

“Furthermore, the Commission intends to review the mechanisms for a more effective implementation of agreements on logistics with transport unions and other service providers by consolidating recent experience in early deployment and start of elections in the recent Ondo State governorship elections.

Review the use of PVC

Mr Yakubu noted that the commission strongly suggested reviewing the use of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) as the sole means of identification for the accreditation of voters on polling day.

INEC has a maxim in the existing electoral process that says “No PVC, No Vote”, meaning that people who do not present their PVC will not be accredited to vote.

The commission also calculates the number of eligible voters based on the number of people who collected their PVCs from the commission.

“Those who already have the CVPs can still use them to vote, but in the future, computer-generated ballots issued to the voter or even uploaded to the Commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation.

“This will not only reduce costs, but also eliminate the problems associated with the collection of PVCs and the diabolical practice of purchasing voters’ cards in order to deprive them of their right to vote,” said the president of the CENI.

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Early/special voting for election officials

Mr Yakubu also said the report contains recommendations on early/special voting for Nigerians who are currently not voting due to the role they play in elections.

He listed the professionals involved, including CENI officials, security personnel, ad hoc staff, observers and journalists deployed outside the places where they registered to vote.

“There are also recommendations in favor of diaspora voting,” he said.

“Likewise, the Commission will intensify its actions regarding access and distribution of voters to polling stations.”

Clean the electoral lists

The CENI president said the commission also intends to urgently develop protocols for the cleaning of electoral rolls in collaboration with other agencies such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the National Population Commission (NPC).