Yiaga Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to establish a result transmission protocol that clarifies the journey of election results from polling units to their final destination.
Yiaga Africa emphasized the necessity for the public to be informed about the handling of results, asserting that Nigerians require explanations to comprehend the entire result management system.
During a Policy Roundtable on the Electronic Transmission and Collation of Election Results held in Abuja on Thursday, Samson Itodo, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, advocated for a transparent and open results management process in anticipation of the Osun State governorship election and the 2027 general elections.
Itodo referenced Yiaga Africa’s policy brief titled “Securing the Vote through Electronic Transmission and Collation of Election Results,” which analyzes the results management framework established by the Electoral Act 2026, along with the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2026.
Yiaga Africa pointed out that Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act 2026 mandates the electronic transmission of polling unit results (Form EC8A) to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, transforming the portal from merely a public viewing platform into a legal record instrument. It also stipulates a second, direct transmission of results and accreditation figures to the next level of collation for verification.
Yiaga Africa expressed concern that significant elements of the results management process remain obscured from public view, stating: “For example, results sent from polling units do not appear instantly on the IReV; they undergo an internal backend validation
