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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that the results submitted to the polling stations during the election cannot be altered.
The commissioner also lamented the ongoing political campaigning on social media but regretted that he was disabled to act because it was beyond his authority.
This came as Yiaga Africa urged the commission to put the Bi-modal Voters Accreditation System (BIVAS) stress test ahead of the 2023 general elections.
INEC said this during a conference for political parties, community groups, media and other stakeholders titled: “The role and impact of digital technology in facilitating peaceful elections in Nigeria.”
The National Peace Committee (NPC) with the support of the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Kukah Center organized the two-day event in Abuja.
Speaking as a speaker at one of the gatherings, the Special Adviser to the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mohammad Kuna, who reacted to the fear of electronic transmission of results, said that “ edits uploaded by election officials are not possible,” adding “one time. the results are uploaded and cannot be edited.”
He said that the results posted on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) could not be tampered with, stressing that there was little to no result because of the use of technology by the agency.
He added that the inability of politicians to manipulate the system led them to buy votes, adding that the electronic transmission of results allowed politicians and politicians to calculate the results of the election immediately.
Acknowledging the efforts of INEC to attack the website and electronic media, he assured him that the commission has adequate security to withstand such attacks.
Scholar Abdullahi Abdu Zuru supports, saying that party representatives are required to sign the vote results, adding that they must ensure that what they sign is what has been delivered.
In the violation of campaigning before the election, Kuna said that campaigners and social media are taking advantage of the loopholes in the electoral law that do not pass through social media.
Although campaigning is expected to start from September 28, he said “I don’t know that the new electoral law in terms of ethics has extended to social media so people have used it. .”
However, he admitted that it is necessary to close the gap, adding that the company is prohibited from arresting people for advertising and social media before September 28 for this process.
On his part, Itodo asked the electoral commission to test the BVAS before the 2023 general elections, adding that the commission should have the courage to check the machines to indicate hacking as a precaution against election.
“I am asking INEC to conduct a stress test on BVAS to identify its weaknesses before the 2023 elections.”
He further asked Nigerians to charge INEC to upload the approved voter list alongside the results from the Electoral Division.”
He said that “BVAS has the authority to upload the results from the polling stations to the polling stations and the registered voters in the various polling stations.”
The Chief Secretary of the NPC, Father Atta Barkindo, said they decided to start this course because they realized the need to arrest politicians and political parties in social media and fake news as part of the process. Peace.
Other congress members at the event condemned the deliberate use of social media to spread fake news ahead of the 2023 general election.
The Director, Anglophone West Africa/Public Policy, Facebook, Adaora Ikenze, said the purpose of the forum was to create a framework for social media during the election, adding that politicians should stop promoting content. targeted and exploited. the weak and vulnerable through false narratives.
The head of CDD, West Africa, Idayat Hassan, warned against digital interference in our electoral process by other countries. However, he said there is a need to increase awareness on the impact of fake news before the 2023 elections.
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