20:24 Inability To Transmit 2023 Presidential Election Results Eroded Trust In INEC — Ex-REC Igini

A former resident electoral commissioner, Mike Igini, on Sunday said that the inability of INEC to transmit the results of the 2023 presidential election eroded trust in INEC and is responsible for the lack of public confidence in the commission.

Igini, who stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said that despite serving as a REC, he still could not explain clearly what constituted the glitch that the electoral umpire claimed was experienced during the election.

He said that while BVAS worked, the failure to transmit one of the results of the three elections held on one day made trust in INEC evaporate.

“Now, in 2023, what worked and what broke public confidence? The BVAS worked. But what broke confidence, which has created a liability and a cloud of distrust that the current leadership is suffering, was the fact that there were three elections, same day; only one could not be transmitted, which was the presidential,” Igini said.

“That was what evaporated public trust and confidence. Even people like us, who put out our integrity to explain to people, to give a clarion call to the Nigerian people, up till date I don’t have a clear explanation of what constituted that glitch.”

The lawyer, however, said that the 2027 elections would be a verdict on whether Nigerians can learn a lesson from what happened in 2023.

“Every election is a test, but in 2027, it will be more than a test. It will be a verdict on whether we, as a people, can learn from what has happened,” the former REC said.

He urged Nigerian voters to stay awake, especially on the night of the election when collation happens, to protect their votes.

“But the greatest power of the people, which is unassailable, is that in every polling unit, the people will be more than the polling officials that are going to be compromised,” he said.