Polls: We’ll Use Separate Collation Officers For Presidential And National Assembly Polls – INEC

BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has adopted the recruitment and deployment of two collation staff at the ward level in order to separately collate the votes for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The Commission also said that election results will be collated and transmitted manually in keeping with the existing Electoral Act, adding that even advanced democracies collate results manually.

The move according to a National Commissioner, Mr. Festus Okoye, is to prevent the delay usually associated with the final release of the result of the presidential election which used to be collectively collated with that of the National Assembly that terminates at the Federal constituency and Senatorial districts.

Mr. Okoye, who is also the Chairman of Information Committee of INEC, told journalists in Abuja on Sunday that the Electoral Commission took the decision because of the number of parties that applied to contest for the elections holding February 16.

Okoye explained that owing to the number of political parties contesting the Presidential elections, the Senatorial and House of Representatives elections, the Electoral body resolved to ensure that two collation staff at assigned to a registration centre and the ward.

In his words; “One of the collation officers will collate for the Presidential election and move up, while the other collation officer will collate for the House of Representatives and the Senate and terminate at the Federal Constituency and the Senatorial District Collation centre respectively.

“That of the President will continue to move from the polling unit to the registration centre or ward to the Local Government to the State and then to the national level in Abuja.”

The INEC National Commission appealed to journalists to beam their searchlight on politicians just as the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Yahaya Bello, pleaded with the media to avoid fake news but should report facts, stressing that media reportage of election can mar or make it.

In his words; “People and international observers look up to the media for information. It, therefore, behooves on you as media executives to be responsible and circumspect in your reports and coverage of coming elections.

“This is not to say that you should not report facts but the appeal is to shun sensationalism, fake news and deal with the temptation of declaring the results before the commission does.

“Reports capable of causing confusion or igniting rancour and hatred should be avoided. The media is one of the critical stakeholders in the electoral process. So, we seek your continued support in reporting facts in the elections and educating the electorate on their rights to vote and be voted for.”

Explaining further, Mr. Okoye said the INEC has been consistent in following the processes and procedures in collating and transmitting results, adding however that if the National Assembly amends the Electoral Act, the Commission will adopt e-collation and transmission of results.

Commenting on the recruitment of collation officers, Okoye added; “The practice of recruiting collation officers centrally by INEC headquarters has been in practice since 2011. In all elections since 2011, including the 195 off-season elections since 2015, the recruitment of collation officers is centrally done by INEC headquarters.

“So, since 2011, no REC has been involved in the recruitment of Collation Officers. We will continue to recruit Collation Officers from INEC headquarters, we won’t allow RECs to do that.”

“The Resident Electoral Commissioners are busy with the recruitment and training of Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers. The Resident Electoral Commissioners are also receiving and distributing non-sensitive materials from the zone stores of the commission to the State headquarters and the Local Governments and ultimately to the Registration centres and polling Units.””

He also said tit INEC was fully prepared for the elections by having over 814, 500 staff for the conduct of the elections in 1, 558 constituencies and 774 Local Government Areas.

According to Okoye; “It is a matter of common knowledge that the 2019 general elections will involve 91 registered political parties and a total registered voting population of 84,004,084. The election will take place in 1,558 Constituencies and 774 Local Government Areas. The Collation of Results will take place in 8,809 Registration Areas/ Wards and in 119, 973 Polling Units and 57,023 Voting Points nationwide.

”The Presidential Election will be contested by a total of 73 candidates while the governorship election will be contested by a total of 1,068 candidates in 29 states of the Federation. The 109 Senate seats will be contested by 1, 904 candidates while the 360 seats in the House of Representatives will be contested by a total of 4, 680 candidates.

“The 991 State Constituency elections will be contested by a total of 14, 583 candidates. The 68 Area Council seats in the Federal Capital Territory will be contested by 806 candidates.”