Protesters Storm Presidential Collation Centre in Abuja over Electronic Transmission of Results

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Scores of protesters from different political parties Tuesday stormed the Presidential Collation Centre at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, to demand for electronic transmission of results from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The protest took place at the nearby Emeka Anyaoku Street, Area 11, in the light of the tight security cordon at the International Conference Centre.

The protesters expressed dissatisfaction with the failure by INEC Chairman Dr Mamood Yakubu to abide by his promise to relay the result of the election via electronic transmission.

They asked the INEC Chairman to fulfil what his promise of an election that is transparent and open process promised Nigerians several months before the election.

One of the protesters, Lillian Kozau, who spoke with reporters, called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow his image to be tarnished and his legacy destroyed by the INEC.

“INEC assured us that it would be a transparent process. They assured us of a transparent process and that the BVAS would be used, which is supposed to be an electronic process. Yet, after three days, 23 states still need to be uploaded. Why? Does this mean we will be doing this for one week?

“Why will a result be deleted from a platform after it has been uploaded? What are they up to? All we asked for was a transparent process. We just wanted whoever we voted for to emerge as the president of this country. We just wanted hope; we just wanted things to work. We are not asking for too much,” Kozau said.

Another protester, Dr Lovett Izekor asked the international community and the international election observers to mount pressure on the federal government to ensure INEC sticks to the promise of electronic transition of results.