The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that the 2023 presidential election results were authentic and contained no discrepancies.
This statement comes after allegations of irregularities and discrepancies in the results.
The commission stated that the results presented by its 36 State Returning Officers and the Returning Officer for the FCT at the National Collation Centre are official and authentic.
The electoral body was responding to a letter from the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), which alleged discrepancies in the results. CCIJ claimed that there were differences between the results on INEC’s website and those presented by returning officers.
However, INEC’s spokesman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, clarified that there are no discrepancies in the number of registered voters or the presidential election results.
Oyekanmi explained that INEC does not announce election results on YouTube, as alleged by CCIJ.
He said: “There are no ‘differences’ in the number of polling units and registered voters in the listed states. The total number of polling units and registered voters remains as announced by the Commission.
“The result of an election may be cancelled for specific reasons, including violence, over-voting, and refusal to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), as stipulated in the extant laws. At the same time, the conditions for making a return when the result of an election is cancelled or declared null and void in specific polling units have also been explained in the Electoral Act 2023 and the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections (2022). You are invited to read the full details on our website, www.inecnigeria.org.
“The results of the 2023 presidential election presented by our 36 State Returning Officers and the Returning Officer for the FCT at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, are official and authentic.
“The figures quoted in your letter purportedly from some local government areas in Imo State are inconsistent with the details/results presented publicly by the Imo State Returning Officer at the National Collation Centre, Abuja.”
