The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that its results viewing portal, IREV, is designed to enhance election transparency, not serve as a result collation or transmission system, News About Nigeria reports.
This clarification was made by INEC’s Director of ICT, Paul Omokore, during a presentation titled “The Role of BVAS and IReV for Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo Governorship Elections” at a two-day capacity workshop for journalists held in Nasarawa State on Monday.
Omokore advised the public not to confuse the act of uploading polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal with the electronic transmission of results.
According to him, the INEC BVAS is used solely for uploading pictures of Polling Units’ results on Form EC8A to IReV, and it does not involve electronic transmission of results.
“Form EC8A contains the results that we collated at the Polling Units. We use BVAS to capture this form and upload the same information to the IReV portal for public viewing.
“This is not a collation system. It merely captures the EC8A, which the presiding officers have collected, with all the party scores, signed and stamped, and then sends this image to IReV for public viewing. That’s all it does. It is not a collation system,” he explained.
He also pointed out that, from the beginning of elections in Nigeria, results have always been transmitted manually, from the polling units to the collation centres.
The INEC Director of ICT further noted that the deployment of technology in the electoral process has proven to be an effective tool in achieving free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria.
He also elaborated on the roles of BVAS and the IReV Portal, stating, “BVAS is designed to ensure ‘one person, one vote,’ while the IReV Portal’s role is to enhance the openness and credibility of our elections.”
