The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to utilize the IReV (Innovative Results Viewing) system in the upcoming Bayelsa State Governorship Election on Saturday, November 11. Despite experiencing a technical glitch during the presidential election, the IReV system has been effectively used subsequently.
Obo Effanga, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Bayelsa State, confirmed the use of IReV in a statement shared on social media.
Meanwhile, INEC has clarified that the IReV system is not intended for results collation, emphasizing that electronic collation of results is illegal in Nigeria. The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated that the IReV portal is designed to display Form EC8A, which will be uploaded directly from individual polling units by presiding officers after the close of polls.
Oyekanmi further explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be used by presiding officers to snap Form EC8A and upload it to IReV after completing all processes at the polling units. He emphasized that IReV is not for collating results or determining the winner, and BVAS is not an electronic voting machine.
The clarification comes amidst expectations that the results of off-cycle governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states would be transmitted electronically. Electronic transmission of election results has been a subject of discussion and formed a significant aspect of the presidential election petitions at the Presidential Election Petitions Court filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party.
Oyekanmi emphasized that the constitutional process outlined in Section 179 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would be followed for determining and declaring the winner of the governorship election.
