Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has called on accredited local and international observer groups to promptly submit their reports on the 2023 general election. During a meeting with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to review the election, Yakubu revealed that only 30% of the accredited observer groups have submitted their reports so far.
Addressing the reports of cash support, Yakubu clarified that INEC did not receive direct funding or cash support from international development partners for the election. Instead, their support was channeled through civil society organizations and implementing partners involved in electoral processes.
Yakubu also mentioned that while voter accreditation using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was successful, there were encountered glitches in uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV). He noted that the matter is currently under litigation, and the Commission refrained from providing detailed comments at this stage.
Responding on behalf of the CSOs, Mrs. Faith Nwadishi, Director of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), emphasized the importance of submitting pending reports and stressed that the recommendations derived from these reports would be instrumental in bringing much-needed reforms to Nigeria’s electoral system.