The National Collation Center Agents of the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and seven other parties has staged a walkout at the National Collation Center for the presidential election results at the International Conference Center in Abuja on Monday.
Dino Melaye of the PDP who walked out with Hon. Umar Farouk Ibrahim of LP and others, had earlier observed that the result of Ekiti state presidential election presented on Monday was marred by over voting.
Also read; Update: 2023 Presidential Election Results from INEC Collation center
Along with other party agents, Dino Melaye, a member of the 8th National Assembly from Kogi West Senatorial District, demanded the cancellation of the Ekiti state result alleging that there were incidents of over voting and electoral irregularities.
The agents contended that the collation of results at the centre is at variance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and that they do not believe in the results presented by the SCOPs.
Dino also asked INEC to show transmitted elections results state-by-state on the screen for all to see.
In response, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who also doubles as the Chief Electoral Commissioner, maintained that there was no over voting in Ekiti state, stressing that any results aside the one released by the commission did not emanate from INEC.
Many party leaders have bitterly complained that INEC officials at the polling units were unable to upload election results to the IReV. The IReV and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) are new technologies introduced by the electoral body for the accreditation and electronic transmission of votes for this year’s polls.
On election day, as at 7.00pm at a Poling Unit in Etche LGA of Rivers State monitored by Investogist, the INEC Polling Unit staff could not upload the results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, IReV.
They left without uploading the results in contravention of INEC’s own policy.
At the time of filling this result, less than half of Polling Unit results from across the country has been uploaded to IReV.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
