The Civil Society Situation Room has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reinforce the usage of its result viewing portal to guarantee transparency in the forthcoming Edo and Ondo States gubernatorial elections.
Mr. Clement Nwankwo, Convener of the Situation Room, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), made the call at a news press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, NAN reports.
Nwankwo also commended INEC’s trial of the portal where voters could see their polling unit level results within a few hours of voting.
“Situation room welcomes INEC’s trial of a portal where voters and the public at large can see the polling unit level results online within hours of voting.
“We have seen the poll at the weekend for the Nasarawa State Assembly where voters and observers were able to view polling results from online the same evening that the election held.
“This is a significant step forward for transparency in Nigeria elections that should be reinforced and applied rigorously in upcoming polls in Edo and Ondo States.
“This proves that it is possible for every voter to have better access to the record of what has happened in their polling unit,” the convener said.
Nwankwo also urged INEC to ensure strict adherence to its guidelines for the conduct of the election and clearly map out punitive measures for election stakeholders who flout the commission’s COVID-19 guidelines.
According to him, the group will be deploying 300 election observers each to monitor the elections in Edo and Ondo.
He advised security agencies to be non-partisan before, during and after the elections, abide by INEC’s code of conducts and rules of engagement for security personnel on electoral duty.
