"INEC clarifies that IReV is not an election result collation system."

 "INEC clarifies that IReV is not an election result collation system."

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that its results viewing portal is designed to promote election transparency and is not intended for result collation or transmission. This clarification was provided by Paul Omokore, INEC's Director of ICT, during a presentation titled "The Role of BVAS, IReV for Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo Governorship Elections" at a workshop for journalists in Akwanga, Nasarawa State.

Omokore advised journalists and the public not to mistake the act of uploading Polling Unit (PU) results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) with electronic result transmission. He explained that the INEC Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is used solely to capture images of Form EC8A, which contains the results at the polling units, and upload these images to IReV for public access. This process does not involve result collection; it merely shares the images of the EC8A forms that presiding officers have signed and stamped with party scores.

He emphasized that the system does not aggregate or collect results; it merely facilitates public access to the original EC8A forms. Omokore also noted that historically, election results in Nigeria were manually transmitted from polling units to collation centers, and the introduction of technology has enhanced the credibility of elections, although challenges remain. INEC is committed to addressing these challenges for the benefit of free and fair elections.