Ahead of the Edo State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will introduce a new internet-enabled device, in addition to the smart card reader, to enable transparent monitoring of election results from the polling unit.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman, made this known on Friday in Benin, the Edo State capital, during a meeting with Electoral officers (EO) and Head of Units (HoU) across the 18 local governments of the state.
“In addition to the card reader authentication, we are going to deploy a tablet with a camera, which after voting has been concluded and ballots sorted out and counted, the picture of the ECFA (result sheet) would be taken and transmitted to a dedicated portal so that Nigerians can view the polling unit results live and direct by those closed to the polling units,” said Yakubu.
The INEC Chairman said similar technology was deployed in the conduct of the by-election in Nasarawa State which enabled the electorate view results even before it was officially announced.
He further tasked staff of the commission to remain neutral and exhibit professionalism in the conduct of the September 19, governorship poll in Edo State.
“We are not supporting any political party or candidate and we are not against any political party or candidates either,” he said.
“Our concern is the integrity and transparency of the process. The choice of who becomes the governor of Edo state is entirely in the hands of Edo people and we are going to protect the process.”
