INEC collaborating with NCC to address transmission issues in 2023 – Yakubu

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the commission is already working to resolve election result issues that may arise from blind network spots.

Supreme reports that the INEC chairman stated this at a one-day strategic interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Friday.

The INEC chairman's reaction followed reservations by Nigerians on the possibility of using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in poor network areas as it depended on a telecommunications network to work.

Yakubus said the commission would be meeting with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday to discuss mobile network issues that might affect the transmission of results.

He said that Nigerians had nothing to fear about the effectiveness of result transmission in the 2023 general elections using the BVAS.

The INEC chairman said they were liaising with the NCC to make sure there would be a seamless transmission of results in the 2023 elections.

"INEC has identified blind spots (where there are poor or no networks), and we are working to make sure there won't be any problems."

"We are working with the NCC to make sure we transmit without blind spots." They are the network regulators, and they will be very vital to that.

"We are making sure and working hard so that we transmit freely all around the country," he said.

Earlier, Mr. Festus Okoye, INEC's National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, appealed to the media to continue to assist the commission in fighting misinformation.

Okoye said that with 84 days until the general elections, the spread of fake news and misinformation about the electoral process had become worrisome for the commission.

He said said there was need for the media to assist in tackling the menace of false information for a successful general elections in 2023.

Earlier in his opening remarks, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, said the media had continued to play a very important role in sustaining democracy in Nigeria.

He urged the media to assist the commission in further ensuring that the information on the upcoming elections remained accurate and balanced.