A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Osita Chidoka has slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission, over its inability to transmit the 2023 presidential election results electronically.
Chidoka stated this while speaking during a Channels Television programme, ‘Sunday Politics,’ on Sunday, September 10, 2023.
According to him, INEC’s conduct at the just concluded 2023 elections was a monumental failure and an international disgrace to Nigeria.
“INEC is a monumental disgrace. INEC is an organisation I am ashamed to be associated with as a Nigerian.
“I came on this programme and called for third-party verification of the INEC system so that we are sure that on election day what is going to happen that day would not lead to a glitch. On election day, INEC said there was a glitch.
“Despite not testing the system, it is a shame that INEC went to court to argue that not complying with its regulation does not make it a ground to cancel an election,” Chidoka said.
The PDP Chieftain further claimed that INEC struggles with such an issue, while countries very large in population like India and Indonesia conduct better elections, wondering why electoral umpire could not emulate such countries.
It would be recalled that the PDP and Labour Party, had challenged the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the February 25 presidential election, at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
Atiku and Obi filed petitions, seeking to nullify Tinubu’s victory, noting that INEC did not carry out a real-time transmission of results to the election portal.
Meanwhile, the PEPT ruled Wednesday, September 6, that INEC is at liberty to transmit results in whichever way it wants.
However, the judgment by the tribunal has caused different reactions among the citizens and the international communities.
