Nigeria – Election Credibility Not Tied to Online Result Upload – INEC

By Utebor Paul, Nigeria

The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Rotimi Oyekanmi, has said the credibility of elections is not dependent on the immediate upload of result sheets to INEC’s online portal.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday, during the presentation of a paper titled: “Role of Media and INEC Social Media Platforms in Democratic Elections,” Oyekanmi highlighted that network challenges in some parts of the country can delay the upload of results.

He pointed out that this does not affect the overall credibility of the process.

“The fact is that network issues can happen because the entire country is not covered 100 percent. INEC has made provisions for offline upload of results,” he said.

He explained that even when network failure occurs, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is designed to store results offline, which are automatically transmitted once the device picks up a signal before reaching the collation center.

Oyekanmi added that many Nigerians are not aware of these technical provisions and have misinterpreted delays in uploads as a breakdown of the election process.

He also urged journalists covering elections to be mindful of the implications of their reports, stressing that irresponsible coverage could threaten national peace and put lives at risk.

OYekanmi said: “The media has the responsibility to counter misinformation and fake news. When journalists are insensitive to the impact of their reports, they put the lives of their colleagues, electoral officers, and citizens in danger.”

He further encouraged journalists to engage in fact-checking, especially during election periods, to promote peace and transparency.

He noted that INEC will continue to take advantage of social media platforms to proactively disseminate information about electoral activities, plans, and policies.