DAILY COURIER
‘Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has urged the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to perfect its election transmission technology to guarantee a credible elections in 2023.
This was the position of the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu when a delegation of the Commonwealth on pre-election assessment mission visited APC National Secretariat today, Wednesday November 23, 2022.
The leader of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Lindiwe Maleleka had sought to know the rulings party’s concern leading to the general election said: “We note the reforms that have been introduced in the lead up to this election: the Electoral Act, 2022, the new technologies which were introduced and I believe was tested in the Osun and Ekiti elections. We want to get your views about the new reforms in the build up to the next general elections because we are aware it will be rolled out for the election in February.
The Chairman expressed worry over INEC’s readiness to deploy real time result transmission across the entire country in the face of epileptic power and internet network in substantial parts of the country.
He asked INEC to assure Nigerians that they are 100 percent ready to transmit results electronically across the length and breadth of the country real time.
“Our concern is how ready are we to deploy some of these technologies as regards transmission because we are taking a major step in transmitting election results in real time. To transmit results, in every part of the nation Nigeria, I’m not sure that the network covers it, I know that even in parts of Abuja there is no network and we have from now till February when in substantial parts of the country there is no electricity. INEC must assure us 100 percent that as at when due in transmitting results they are ready” Adamu said.
Corroborating the position of the national chairman, APC’s National Organizing Secretary, Ambassador Suleiman Argungu tasked INEC to put its house in order in other to surmount the twin challenges of paucity of electricity and intractable network connection especially in border communities.
Argungu said: “As a rider to what the national chairman just said about INEC transmitting results directly during the coming election, apart from the issue of electricity that is unstable, a lot of the villages and communities bordering other countries for instance my state Kebbi that is bordering two nations during the previous elections the network of Nigeria for all the networks, glo, MTN, Airtel you can’t get them. If you want to get them you have to use the number of the other countries to reach them. So, during election I don’t see how transmission of result will work. I see it coming.”
Maleleka while giving her remarks stated that the pre-election assessment mission was a chance to meet with all major stakeholders involved in the election.
“We have interacted with civil society organizations, political parties, senior government officials and media representatives as well. It is an opportunity to understand the preparation for the election irrespective of what status. Based on these perspectives we will submit a report to the Commonwealth Secretary General who will then decide to deploy observers for the election on behalf of the Commonwealth Secretariat. This is why we are here to interact with you, tap your perspective and the preparation for the election” she added.
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