The battle for Edo State’s top seat in the 2024 election promises to be intense, with three major parties and others vying for power. While the candidates, voters, and the entire nation have much at stake, another crucial factor will significantly influence the outcome: the efficiency of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in tandem with the security agencies.
INEC, the body responsible for conducting and overseeing elections in the country, shoulders a significant burden in the upcoming election. It must ensure that the election is free, fair, credible, and peaceful, in the face of rising insecurity, violence, and vote-buying. It also has to deal with the logistical challenges of deploying personnel and materials, protecting observers and the media, and collating and announcing the results in a timely and transparent manner. These are common expectations the body is tasked to meet in every election cycle.
However, INEC’s credibility as an electoral body has been severely eroded over the years due to instances of elections being marred by irregularities, malpractices, and violence. Probably the biggest example of this in recent times is the 2023 general elections. INEC has also faced accusations of complicity, bias, and incompetence from various political parties and civil society groups, who have questioned its ability to deliver credible elections in the future.
A plethora of issues shaped the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria as one of the most controversial in the country’s history, beset with doubts about the credibility and transparency of the electoral process. Speaking on behalf of INEC at Chatham House in 2022, its chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had promised to use a new technology called the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal, which would allow the public to access the results of the polls in real-time as they were being transmitted from the polling units. This was supposed to enhance the confidence and trust of the voters and the candidates in the outcome of the election, and to prevent any manipulation or rigging of the results.
In an unfortunate turn of events, the IReV portal failed to deliver on its promise on that fateful day. While the results of the National Assembly elections, which were held simultaneously with the presidential election, were uploaded promptly and smoothly, the results of the presidential election were delayed for several hours, and in some cases, days. INEC blamed this on an unforeseen technical glitch that affected only the presidential election, and assured the public that the results were authentic and accurate. Nevertheless, many Nigerians remained sceptical and suspicious of this explanation, and accused INEC of deliberately sabotaging the portal to favour the incumbent president.
Battered credibility
The delay and inconsistency in the IReV portal sparked a wave of outrage and criticism on social media, where many Nigerians expressed their frustration and disappointment with INEC and the electoral process. Social media was flooded with screenshots and videos of alleged discrepancies and irregularities in the results, such as inflated figures, missing data, and mismatched names. Some users compared the IReV portal with similar platforms used in other countries, such as South Africa, and lamented the poor performance and quality of Nigeria’s electoral system. The dissatisfaction with the process prompted many to call for a boycott or a protest of the election, and demanded a rerun or a recount of the votes.
The IReV portal debacle was a major blow to INEC’s credibility and reputation, and cast a shadow of doubt and controversy over the presidential election. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), who both rejected the official results that declared the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner, cited the IReV portal failure as one of the grounds for challenging the election in the courts. They argued that the portal was compromised and manipulated to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC) and that the results were not reflective of the true will of the Nigerian people. They also claimed that INEC violated the Electoral Act and the Constitution by not publishing the results on the portal as required by law. The legal battle lasted for several months, and was eventually dismissed by the Supreme Court, which upheld Tinubu’s victory. However, the issue of the IReV portal remained a sore point for many Nigerians, who felt that they were disenfranchised, and that their democracy was undermined.
Amidst all the allegations of rigging, intimidation, and fraud, a prominent political analyst and professor of political science, Jideofor Adibe, blamed INEC and the politicians for the electoral crisis. In an interview with the Daily Trust, Adibe stressed that INEC, as the body responsible for conducting and supervising the elections, had failed to live up to its mandate and the expectations of the Nigerian people. He stated that INEC has lost the trust and confidence of the electorate due to its poor performance and lack of transparency.
“INEC as presently constituted, I am not sure they have enough legitimacy to organize future elections, but INEC is only a part of the problem,” he said.
Adibe also criticized the role of the politicians, whom he accused of manipulating and undermining the electoral system for their selfish interests. He posited that due to poor implementation and monitoring, the politicians may have exploited the loopholes and weaknesses of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which was introduced by INEC to enhance the verification and authentication of voters and the transmission and publication of results.
“There is also the problem of our politicians. The BVAS I believe is a good technology that ought to have been able to help us, if the uploading of the results at the polling units immediately after elections are concluded. If they were done, maybe perhaps some of the loss of confidence in the body could not have happened,” he said.
Adibe called for a comprehensive reform of the electoral system to ensure that future elections are free, fair, and credible. He said that the reform should involve the review of the legal framework, the restructuring of INEC, the improvement of electoral technology, and the sensitisation of the voters and the stakeholders.
INEC’s report on 2023 election
Eventually, and after much prodding by the public and other stakeholders, INEC has released a report on the technical issues that affected its results viewing portal (IReV) during the 2023 presidential election. The report explained the causes and consequences of the glitch that delayed the uploading of the scanned images of the polling unit result sheets. According to the report, the glitch was due to the inherent complexity within the system, which was difficult to anticipate and mitigate.
“By and large, the glitch experienced in uploading the scanned images of polling unit presidential election result sheets on 25th February 2023 was due to the inherent complexity within the system, which was difficult to anticipate and mitigate,” the report read.
The report, however, maintained that despite the failure of the IReV, the development did not mar the 2023 election in the country.
“When they were eventually uploaded, it was easy to compare them with the copies displayed at polling units and given to the party agents and party officials,” it said.
The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has, however, challenged the credibility of the 526-page report released by INEC on the conduct of the polls. He opined that the report was a fabrication to cover up the irregularities and malpractices that marred the election process. He questioned why the report did not mention any issues with the IReV platform for those elections.
“The report of the INEC which signifies that the IReV refused to function or was uploaded during the election is false. Considering the fact that there were three elections that happened on that day, the Federal House of Representatives, the Senate, and the result was uploaded and there was no issue,” Obi said.
The challenge of Edo 2024
As the Edo State gubernatorial election approaches, all eyes are on INEC to restore public confidence in the electoral process. The recent controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election have cast a long shadow, raising concerns about the upcoming polls. Although INEC has tried to clear the air, attributing the IReV portal failure to technical complexities, these explanations have been met with even more scepticism. Many stakeholders remain unconvinced, questioning the report’s validity and demanding further investigations.
To regain public trust, INEC will need to take concrete steps to address the concerns raised. Sharing detailed information about the electoral process, including the deployment of personnel and materials, would increase public trust. There have also been talks about strengthening electoral technology and close collaboration with security agencies.
Only through genuine efforts towards transparency, robust technology, and security can INEC rebuild public trust and ensure a credible and peaceful Edo State gubernatorial election. The success of this election will be crucial in shaping the public’s perception of INEC and its ability to conduct future elections in Nigeria.
