Group advises INEC on election audit

A group, the Nigerian Intellectual Forum, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to carry out a pre- and post-election audit.

The group said such an audit would spur the amendment of the Electoral Act and enhance Nigeria’s electoral process.

The Director General of the Forum, Mr Soala Jumbo, made the call during a media parley focusing on electoral reforms and the effectiveness of the Biomodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC election result viewing portal, held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Jumbo said the call became necessary in view of the irregularities observed in the use of the BVAS during the Bayelsa governorship election in 2023.

He alleged that I NEC deactivated one of its features, which makes transmission of results through the BVAS machine impossible.

He said, “The BVAS machine used by INEC in this cycle of the elections has three key and relevant features. Now the first is what is known to everyone, which is the feature where you come with your voter card and it’s accredited using that machine, that’s the most common feature that everyone knows.

“Now, we also know that there is a second feature which requires the presiding officer to take a photograph of the results after the election has concluded in each polling unit.

“There’s a third feature which many Nigerians are not aware of, which is what was shown in that video in the green box, the ability of the BVAS machine to transmit directly from the BVAS the number of cards that passed through that machine on that day.

“In other words, the number of persons that were accredited in the election on that day can be directly transmitted to IReV. That is distinguished from the result sheet and sent to IReV.”

Jumbo added, “Now what that does is that it gives you a snapshot – a side-by-side snapshot of what transpired in that polling unit.

“So that the machine is showing you the number of people that were accredited as well as the result sheet, and you can see in that single shot whether they correspond with each other.

“As you saw in the video, in some polling units, the BVAS machine is saying that 49 people were accredited. Yet the result sheet is saying 1, 093 were accredited. That immediately tells you that there is something wrong with that result.

“Now, this is a wonderful feature that the BVAS machine has, but surprisingly, after the Bayelsa elections, INEC disabled that feature so that in the subsequent elections, after the Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi elections, that were held on the same day, the BVAS machine no longer transmits the accreditation figure directly to the IReV.”

He averred that without that second feature, or third feature, the result sheet cannot be interrogated.

He enthused, “So this is just to highlight that it is one of the most important features of the BVAS machine.

“And for whatever reason, because we do not know, and I cannot speculate that it’s for any nefarious reason.

“But for whatever reason, INEC has disabled that feature, and I think that it’s important for civil society organizations who are concerned about credible elections in Nigeria to understand the nitty gritty, the inner workings of this feature, the technology behind the election so that we can ask the necessary questions and demand that the best technology is used going forward in future elections.”

He went on to commend INEC for the technological measures implemented but maintained that for the electoral process in the country to improve, the commission must conduct pre- and post-election audits.

Jumbo added, “If the (Electoral) Act is amended, Nigeria gets better, which I think it needs to be, whether now or in the future, as long as it’s amended, I think we’re making progress.

“And therefore, what I would advise if my advice is sought, is that before every election or electoral cycle, INEC must or should conduct a free election audit, a technological audit of the devices to be used so that civil society organisations, political parties, their agents, and so on can ask the necessary questions.

“What is this device going to do? How is it going to work? What is it going to give us? What will it not give us? So that we know that not working or it’s not working properly. What are the vulnerabilities and so on?

 “So, a pre-election audit and post-election audit is what I would advise so that after this electoral cycle, perhaps after Ondo State, then there could be roundtable like this to discuss the failings, the successes and then to see the way forward.”