E-Transmission: ‘There’s No Polling Unit Without Internet in Nigeria” – Ex-INEC Commissioner

A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye, has insisted that internet connectivity is available in all polling units across Nigeria.

Okoye made the statement on Tuesday while speaking during an interview on Trust TV.

He addressed the growing public debate surrounding the recent amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly and its approval by Bola Tinubu.

According to him, concerns about poor network coverage during elections are exaggerated and do not reflect the reality on ground.

He explained that all electoral devices used by INEC are equipped with supporting tools that ensure results can be safely transmitted once connectivity becomes available.

He said, “All the INEC machines for the election come with power bank and other accessories.”

Okoye clarified that once voting ends, the Presiding Officer captures the polling unit result on Form EC8A using the device. If there is no network at that exact moment, the result is automatically stored in the machine until a signal is detected.

He added, “Now, when elections are over, the Presiding Officer has snapped the For EC8A and there’s no network at that particular point, it stores the information in. The moment it comes into contact with the network, it transmits immediately.”

He further stressed that election officials cannot alter results after they have been entered into the device, even if transmission is delayed.

According to him, “So, what the Presiding Officer has inputed, he cannot undo it until he gets network. No these whole issue about network, I think it’s an unnecessary debate.”

Okoye dismissed claims that some parts of the country lack internet access on election day, describing them as excuses meant to undermine the electronic transmission process.

He said, “There’s no polling unit in this country where there’s no network. None. Forget about all these things about network connectivity. It’s just a lame excuse.”

The former commissioner also recalled that INEC had already tested electronic upload of results before the introduction of the iReV platform, noting that the system had been used successfully in several elections.

He stated, “Before iReV was deployed, the Commission conducted elections in different places and has used its result viewing portal to upload polling units level results.”

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