Polls: INEC knocks Tinubu over touch upon e-transmission

The Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee has knocked the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for expressing doubts over the credibility of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and Outcomes Viewing Portal which will probably be deployed for the 2023 election.

 The fee expressed shock that the APC candidate may query the effectivity of the know-how which had been utilized in a number of polls, together with the low season governorship elections in Ekiti, Osun, and Anambra states.

The previous Lagos State governor had on Monday on the Chatham Home in London, United Kingdom, mentioned the electoral physique had but to guarantee Nigerians of the workability of the BVAS and e-transmission of ballot outcomes.

He spoke weeks after the APC Nationwide Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and the Nationwide Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu, expressed issues over the deliberate deployment of BVAS for subsequent 12 months’s normal polls.

Talking at Chatham Home, Tinubu mentioned, “We’re nonetheless constructing confidence in our democratic and voting system. INEC is but to guarantee us (that) throughout this election that digital transmission, the know-how getting used for accreditation and the overall vote depend, is dependable, reliable and assuring in our democratic course of earlier than we introduce an advanced factor of poll counting.”

However responding to Tinubu’s uncertainty, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, identified that the fee has been speaking in regards to the options, strengths and benefits of BVAS since 2020.

Oyekanmi spoke in response to inquiries by The PUNCH relating to the APC customary bearer’s touch upon the credibility of BVAS and the e-transmission of outcomes.

He said, ‘’The Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee has been speaking in regards to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, its options, strengths and benefits since 2020 when it was launched to exchange our beloved Good Card Reader.

“At each quarterly assembly that the fee held with leaders of political events since this BVAS was launched, and I’m speaking about greater than 5 conferences, it has all the time been on the agenda and mentioned. My presumption is that each the nationwide chairman and secretary of all of the political events that attend our conferences additionally temporary their presidential candidates in regards to the points mentioned.

‘’Extra importantly, we’ve carried out low season governorship elections in Ekiti, Osun and Anambra states utilizing the BVAS and all of those elections have typically been described and accepted as free, truthful, credible, and inclusive by one and all. The governors elected have quietly been having fun with their respective tenures. Don’t overlook that we additionally deployed it for the Federal Capital Territory space council election and it was an enormous success.

 ‘’The BVAS has been trending on social media platforms and even foreigners visiting Nigeria for the primary are asking: ‘What is that this BVAS factor?’’

 In response to mischief-makers who circulated rumours that the fee had dumped the BVAS, Oyekanmi defined that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has reiterated severally that there is no such thing as a going again on the deployment of BVAS for the 2023 normal election.

‘’Due to this fact, if at this second in 2022, we nonetheless have a presidential candidate of one of many 18 registered political events, saying he wants assurances on the BVAS or he doesn’t know or admire its relevance to the 2023 normal election, then one thing is extremely improper someplace,’’ he said.

However the APC defended the reservations expressed by Adamu and Tinubu on the BVAS, stating that their statements have been in all probability misconstrued.

The APC Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, harassed that each males have been merely striving to make sure INEC is 100 per cent sure about its readiness for the election.

Ibrahim mentioned, “I feel we’re misinterpreting or refusing to know the broader that means of issues on this context. The priority raised by each the social gathering chairman and presidential candidate is that justice mustn’t simply be performed however be seen to be performed holistically.

“What they’re doing is to make sure that the appropriate issues are performed to keep away from giving room for complaints to be raised after the 2023 elections. The method mustn’t simply be left at 99 per cent; it should meet up with the appropriate 100 per cent customary.

“If there’s an iota of doubt or something that may compromise the integrity of the election, it have to be regarded into. The proper factor must be performed.”

When requested if the social gathering was apprehensive that using the know-how may have an effect on its probabilities within the polls, the director declared that the social gathering has nothing to concern.

That is at the same time as he reiterated that they’ve the boldness that the fee can efficiently conduct the polls if the appropriate issues are performed.

“No, we aren’t intimidated. The truth is, our imminent victory is extra pronounced with what is going on now. Should you have a look at the continuing rancour, chaos and divisive state of affairs within the camp of the opposition PDP, you’ll uncover that our chances are high getting brighter day by day,’’ he said.

Talking additional, Ibrahim mentioned, “The indices have additionally indicated that the APC is coasting dwelling to victory and it’s actually going to be an ‘Hallelujah’ on the finish of the day. I feel we must always trust in INEC. However that doesn’t imply we shouldn’t inform the fee to be on its toes. On its half, INEC has assured us that all the pieces is on track and all the pieces has been performed to make sure the election will probably be profitable.

“For now, we don’t have any concern. Our solely fear is misinformation or improper info being peddled. We hope individuals gained’t imagine the antics of the opposition that’s giving the general public the impression that the social gathering shouldn’t be prepared for the election.

“After all, we’re greater than prepared. The truth is, let me additionally remind them that the APC is the social gathering to beat. The ruling social gathering is in energy and can need to proceed by consolidating what the Buhari administration has performed. When the Jagaban takes over, we’re assured that he’ll hit the bottom operating.’’

Ibrahim’s place was echoed by the Director of Media and Publicity for the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Marketing campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, who mentioned the social gathering management and APC candidate merely needed the electoral physique to get its acts collectively.

The previous boss of the Information Company of Nigeria was additionally optimistic that his principal would beat the opposition candidates by a landslide.

He mentioned, “What Adamu and Tinubu are attempting to inform INEC is to get its acts collectively. They aren’t saying something greater than that. After all, they don’t seem to be towards BVAS. Tinubu as a candidate, even when he was within the opposition, has been on the forefront of utilizing know-how to marketing campaign for the election. So he can’t presently be saying that he’s not in help of BVAS.

“What he’s merely saying and what Adamu additionally mentioned is that INEC ought to get its acts collectively to have the ability to use BVAS seamlessly. That is all they’re saying opposite to the twist and distortion of the opposition that they’re towards know-how.

“You may see what occurred in Osun State, as an illustration. In a single breath, INEC gave the APC a set of outcomes. The social gathering went to tender it in courtroom. As a substitute of the fee to reveal that they made a mistake, it printed one other set of outcomes. How will you print two contradictory outcomes?

“That’s not the form of factor we’re trying ahead to. We don’t need an election the place individuals will probably be arguing that INEC cheated them or something associated to that. For this reason we’re saying the fee should get its acts collectively.

“If it presents a consequence, it needs to be able to say ‘That’s the consequence.’ Not operating to get one other consequence. It’s so embarrassing.”

On the most important concern of the APC forward of the polls, Onanuga maintained that if the train was devoid of mischief or rigging, the ruling social gathering would win.

“We’re not threatened by means of BVAS or any know-how as a result of we all know we’re successful this election. The truth is, we’re successful with a landslide. We’ve got no concern as a result of we imagine we are going to win if there is no such thing as a mischief or try to rig the elections by the opposition.

“Just a few months in the past, some individuals instructed Peter Obi that they might hack the INEC portal when he went on a tour. As soon as all people permits the method to go on seamlessly, we don’t have any concern in regards to the 2023 election. We’re ready and imagine that with the Almighty God on our aspect, we’re going to win massively,” he said.