By Jane Okafor, Abuja
ABUJA– National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, on Thursday, vowed that on his watch, elections in Nigeria will be so credible that even losers will have cause to congratulate winners.
But Amupitan was also quick to point out that he will be able to accomplish the promised feat with concerted efforts and the support of relevant agencies such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and others, even as he promised to look into the issues of the IReV and the glitches it encountered during the 2023 Presidential election.
The new INEC chairman who spoke in response to questions from Senators during grilling by the Senate ahead of the lawmakers’ confirmation of his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, vowed to conduct an audit of the INEC results viewing (IReV) portal to address glitches that undermined public confidence during the 2023 general elections.
He stressed that the purpose of the bimodal voter accreditation system, BVAS, and IreV, were to ensure the integrity of elections as applicable with election technologies globally.
He said, “Mr. President, distinguished Senators, the concern raised is indeed a major one and it reflects the worry of many Nigerians. One of the first things we must do at the commission is to establish a credible internal mechanism to monitor the conduct and behaviour of officials.
“I believe what happened in 2023 was subsumed as a glitch. Before the election, my understanding, based on a review of Supreme Court decisions, was that there was no clarity as to the purpose of IReV.
The INEC Chairman recalled that the Supreme Court had later clarified that IReV was not an electronic collation system, a position that was not adequately communicated to Nigerians by INEC before the election.
“The IReV was supposed to be a safeguard for comparison because the laws made by this distinguished Senate did not do away with manual collation. However, IReV was supposed to provide some guarantee for checks and balances.
“On the issue of court decisions and technological systems, there has been confusion over certain innovations introduced by INEC, such as the electronic collation system. The Supreme Court has clarified some of these matters. When we assume office, we will assess the infrastructure on ground, review the technology, and adopt the best approach that enhances transparency and credibility in elections.
“I have to audit the system, if I’m given the opportunity, to see what is actually wrong and whether we have what it takes as it is now. Because it is not just the INEC responsibility, but also the other agencies like NCC, NIMC and the service providers that will have to work together to ensure that we give Nigerians the technology that everybody will be happy about.
“There will definitely be an audit of the system we are meeting and especially of the logistics of the election itself and ensure that the proper strategy is put in place. We all know the problem. So, we’ll find a proper strategy to be able to confront those problems headlong.
“Our ultimate goal is to make elections so credible that even the loser will be able to congratulate the winner in good faith just as a judge delivers judgment and both sides accept it as fair and just.”
