INEC poor performances may mar the elections
The electoral commission got all what it needed from the Muhammadu Buhari’s government, but INEC poor performances may totally mar the 2023 general elections.
The president didn’t for once deny the commission all what it needed ahead of the election. He even specifically said that INEC had no reason not to perform well in the election.
But the independent body has performed poorly. The poor remuneration of the adhoc staffers prove a point that the Commission isn’t ready for the exercise.
The adhoc staffers slept in the open, they were poorly equipped with the necessary facilities including functional network for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS).
The INEC poor performances on the BIVAS will put a doubt on the integrity of the Commission. The Assistant Presiding officer, who handles the BIVAS, could upload the National Assembly results on the machine.
However, the officer keeps seeing “server error” when it gets to the presidential election. The Commission would have allowed electronic transmission of presidential election only at the local government area level.
Posting presidential election results from close to 200,000 votes could be cumbersome and make the server collapse. Nigeria has not advanced in technology to accommodate such a large number within a short time.
INEC has performed poorly in that regard. Its foresight is poor and now Nigerians are asking for the results online. INEC couldn’t live up to its words.
What about the level of insecurity? INEC poor performances clearly reflect on insecurity. There were pockets of violence st polling units. Intimidation of voters, ballot snatching, stuffing, burning of materials have been part of the current exercise.
Independent National Electoral Commission ought to have developed beyond the ugly trends of elections. There is a defence for the INEC. Security apparatus doesn’t belong to the commission. That’s true.
However, the president gave a blank cheque to Prof. Mahmud Yakoob. The president allowed the INEC and its chairman to make requests which he granted. Security personnel should have been adequately deployed for the exercise.
Issue of omission of some party’s logos is also concerning. In fact this particular INEC poor performances can end up marring the elections.
Follow us on social media
