Clement Nwankwo, Executive Director of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), has faulted the place attributed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the general public announcement of polling-unit results, warning that restrictions might undermine electoral transparency forward of the 2027 normal elections.
Nwankwo additionally questioned the authorized foundation for INEC’s proposed use of digital techniques and synthetic intelligence (AI) to confirm election results earlier than they’re made public, insisting that the fee should function inside the powers conferred on it by regulation.
He spoke on Tuesday whereas expressing considerations in regards to the preparations for the 2027 elections and the necessity for residents, political events and different stakeholders to guard the integrity of the electoral course of through the eighth annual lecture of Just Friends Club in Abuja.
Recalling his expertise in election remark and democracy advocacy since 1998, Nwankwo mentioned polling-unit results must be introduced on the polling items and made obtainable to residents and celebration brokers to allow them to independently doc the end result of voting.
He mentioned the place attributed to the INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, discouraging the announcement of election outcomes at polling items was troubling as a result of the electoral regulation offered for the announcement of results at that degree.
Nwankwo recalled that through the 2015 normal elections, he and different civil society actors had challenged an analogous place attributed to a former nationwide safety adviser, arguing that voters ought to stay at polling items to doc results and defend their votes.
He mentioned residents and political celebration brokers ought to accumulate proof of results as introduced at polling items fairly than rely solely on figures subsequently launched by way of the collation course of.
The PLAC director warned that the potential of bias by election officers and disputes over results made unbiased documentation notably essential.
“There is always the possibility that the electoral management body will be biased. There is always the possibility that election officials will be biased. There is always the possibility that election results could be switched,” he mentioned.
“But your ability to collect evidence at every opportunity is what stops election results sheets from being switched.”
He challenged political events to determine efficient constructions for monitoring elections throughout the nation, arguing that claims of recognition or victory wouldn’t be enough with out brokers current to doc results.
“I do not think that any party is serious enough if you do not have agents in every polling unit,” he mentioned.
Nwankwo added that events disputing election outcomes have to be ready to supply proof of what transpired at polling items, noting that election petitions continuously contain allegations that INEC uploaded results completely different from these recorded on the polling items.
On the proposed use of expertise in election consequence administration, Nwankwo questioned INEC’s reported plan to make use of digital techniques and AI to vet results earlier than they’re made public.
He argued that the fee should determine the precise authorized provisions authorising such a course of, insisting that technological innovation shouldn’t be used to introduce procedures that aren’t supported by the regulation.
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