Review your position on electronic transmission of results, NUJ President tasks National Assembly

National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Chris Isiguzo, has urged the federal lawmakers to review their resolution on the electronic transmission of results.

Comrade Isiguzo made the appeal on Tuesday in his brief remarks at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC third quarterly meeting with media executive.

The National Assembly while passing the Electoral Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill, 2021 amended Section 52(3) on electronic transmission of results with a proviso that it is subject to the approval of the National Communications Commission (NCC).

Nigerian Tribune checks however revealed that the National Assembly was yet to come up with its Conference Report on the Electoral Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Addressing the gathering of the Chairman of the INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, his national commissioners and senior journalists, the NUJ president said the position taken by the lawmakers was at variance with the expectations of Nigerians.

Comrade Isiguzo wondered why the commission was being allowed to deploy technology in the accreditation of voters and its Continuous Voters Registration but was being encumbered in the use of technology in the collation of results.

He said: “The reaction that trailed their (National Assembly) decision showed that they are at variance with the feelings of Nigerians.

“I don’t know why we embrace digitization in the accreditation of voters but when it comes to the collation of results, we have to do it manually. We have to embrace digitization fully.”

On the conflicting court orders by state and federal high courts, the national president of the NUJ commended the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, for his intervention aimed at halting the development.

“We must thank the CJN for taking the bull by the horns by summoning justices over conflicting orders.

“We must do everything we need to do conscientiously to save our democracy,” he said.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Professor Yakubu informed the gathering of a new innovation by the Commission, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to address the periodic challenge of poor authentication or identification of voters.

According to the INEC Chairman, the BVAS, “to be used, first, for fingerprint authentication during accreditation and where it fails for facial authentication.

“We believe this will eliminate the possibility of voting by identity theft using another person’s PVC. Where the voter fails both the fingerprint and facial authentication, he/she will not be allowed to vote. Going forward, the mantra is: no electronic authentication, no voting. We are convinced that the new machine is robust enough to further guarantee the credibility of voter authentication and transparent management of results during elections.”

He further disclosed that “the Commission intends to carry out a pilot exercise using the new device in Delta State during the Isoko South 1 State Assembly constituency bye-election holding this weekend (Saturday 11th September 2021). The equipment will now perform the functions of both the SCR and Z-Pad in the bye-election. Thereafter, it will be deployed in the Anambra Governorship election in November.”

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