The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to the numerous calls for the possible cancellation of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.
Declaring its position, INEC said alleged infractions concerns raised by partakers and stakeholders are not strong enough reasons for the cancellation of the February 25 presidential election.
The electoral umpire stated this on Tuesday while responding to petitions by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the outcome of the poll.
In his petition, Atiku said the results of the presidential election had put the entire judicial system on trial as there is “empirical evidence” of how the results were manipulated to favour the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
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However, INEC through its lawyer, Abubakar Mahmood, said the controversies surrounding the presidential election result were not substantial enough to cancel the entire process.
The electoral umpire also denied working in favour of the APC or Tinubu, maintaining that the exercise was conducted in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2022.
INEC said;
“No act of non-compliance (if any) was substantial enough to have affected the outcome of the election or result declared.
“The summation of the result declared is consistent with the number of duly accredited voters. There was no act of infraction, as alleged by the petitioners, that is substantial enough to nullify the election.”
INEC told the tribunal that contrary to the claims of the petitioners, the 2023 presidential election was free, fair and credible.
It explained that the Permanent Voter Card (PVC), Electronic Voter Register (EVR), and (BVAS) and other technological devices were deployed to enhance the ease, credibility, transparency and integrity of the electoral process.
However, INEC said the BVAS machine “was not designed for real time transmission of election results for the purpose of collation.”
“Contrary to the assertion of the petitioners in paragraph 19 of the Petition, the 1st Respondent has no electronic collation system by which real-time transmission of polling unit results was to be made or that such alleged electronic transmission of polling unit results was to form the basis for the collation of results at various collation levels.
“The 1st Respondent further states that although it is empowered by the Regulations to prescribe an ‘Electronic Collation System’, none was prescribed by it for use during the 2023 general election, including the presidential election of 25 February 2023.”
