Electronic Transmission Of Results: A Litmus Test For INEC’s Integrity – DYC

Delta Youth Coalition (DYC) has urged the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the Commission keeps its promises by using the new electronic mode of transmission of results in line with the new electoral act come 2023 general elections
President-General of DYC, Chibuzor Agunwa made the call in Asaba while speaking to journalists at the group’s nationalsecretariat just as INEC cleared the air on the planned mode for transmitting election results.
INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, was recently quoted as saying that results of the 2023 elections would be collated manually. But in a statement clarifying an earlier report, hesaid his comment was misinterpreted, and explained that the Commission would continue to adopt electronic transmission of results for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
As Nigerians criticized INEC’s image-maker on the comment, the Commission in a press statement, while clarifying its stands on electronic transmission of results, said: “We wish to reassure Nigerians that the electronic transmission of results has come to stay. It adds to the credibility and transparency of the process when citizens follow polling unit-level results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal real-time on Election Day. There would be no change or deviation in subsequent elections”.
DYC boss while commending INEC leadership for such clarification enjoined the Commission to ensure that it puts all machineries in place to prevent electoral frauds in 2023.
The youth body advised the Commission to try as much as possible to uphold its integrity in line with the New Electoral Act as amended in section 60, 62 and 64, as replicated in Osun and Ekiti elections, to promote free and fair elections and prevent the tendency for electoral malpractices, elections rigging and thuggery.
The DYC leadership used the occasion to caution all the presidential, governorship and candidates for other political positions in all the political parties in the country to ensure they forget the idea of rigging as Nigerians would resist such in 2023 even at the grassroots level.
The body also stated that Nigerians will no longer sell their votes thereby mortgaging their destinies in the hands of corrupt Leaders or politicians.
In the words of Mr Chibuzor Agunwa: “We are an NGO sensitizing the people of Delta State and Nigerians in general. We want Deltans, Nigerians to join hands with us, Delta Youth Coalition, DYC to sensitize and mobilize the Youths and Women towards ensuring that democracy prevails in the country. Also, to ensure that they are fully awakened to their civic right and constitutional responsibility to choose the leaders of their choice; use their votes to vote out corrupt politicians and install credible leaders in Delta State, and Nigeria in general.
“As a group, our mission and vision is to evolve a mass movement of youths and women for participatory democracy and to promote good governance. That is the only way to elect credible leaders. We want people in the rural communities to know that government belongs to all of us. Power belongs to the people. We are working in collaboration with the electorates to elect credible leaders for good governance”.