The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is currently under severe pressure not to include the display of election results at polling units and the electronic transmission of results to INEC server in its manual for the conduct of the 2019 polls.
Regardless of the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, INEC still reserves the power to issue guidelines for the training of its personnel and the conduct of the elections.
It was learnt that certain powerful individuals had been making moves to ensure that these provisions were expunged from the election guidelines.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it would not accept the outcome of any flawed election next year.
The former ruling party said INEC must put in place measures that would ensure credible elections.
It said parts of the measures must include the display of election results at all the polling units in the country and the electronic transmission of results to INEC server in its manual for the conduct of the 2019 polls.
The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, on Saturday, alleged that there were plans by the commission to rig the elections in favour of the ruling party.
He added that it was because of this alleged move that could make the commission to “behave in such a manner that would give the nation an impression that it doesn’t know what it is doing.”
He added, “We want credible, free, fair and acceptable elections next year. We know that there are dubious people who are mounting pressure on the leadership of the commission to jettison due process in order to subvert good process.
“We want all these to be included in the manual and they must be adhered to and follow to the letter. Anything short of that will not be acceptable to us as a party.”
But INEC said that “there is no pressure to discard its processes. The transmission of results from the polling units to our central server during elections is a long standing procedure that cannot be subjected to any external influence.
“On the other hand, the commission introduced the pasting of results at the polling units in order to engender transparency in the electoral process. It was introduced during the Anambra State governorship election and has been repeated in subsequent elections. It has come to stay.
“INEC will never betray the public trust reposed in it. Its processes are sacred and not open to any manipulation. Nigerians are enjoined to disregard the rumour.” – Punch.
