By Osaretin Osadebamwen
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be held accountable for the performance of its BIVAS technology and transmission of election results during the Osun governorship election, former Convener of the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Comrade Ene Obi, has said.
Obi, who spoke on national television on Friday, said concerns over INEC’s technology must be addressed alongside the worsening security situation ahead of the election.
Her comments followed questions over INEC’s use of BIVAS devices operating on Android 10, despite the availability of newer versions of the operating system.
Obi said INEC had received substantial public funding and should therefore be adequately prepared to deploy reliable technology for the election.
“More than 500 billion have been given already. And so if you sat down and you gave a budget that this is what you want to do and they give you the money, you should be able to conduct,” she said.
According to her, INEC’s technical personnel should be capable of ensuring that the BIVAS devices function effectively during the election.
“They can’t give us a story that whatever system that they have brought about will not work on that day. We will hold them responsible,” Obi said.
She also called for greater transparency in the management of INEC’s finances and electoral technology, arguing that previous elections should be audited to determine how funds allocated to the commission were utilised.
Obi’s concerns over BIVAS came as she highlighted the deteriorating security environment in Osun compared with the 2022 governorship election.
According to her, about seven local government areas were identified as hotspots during the 2022 election, while the current poll has about 13 local government areas and approximately 385 flashpoints.
The scale of the security challenge has prompted the deployment of about 15,000 police personnel, alongside civil defence and other security agencies.
Obi, however, warned that security deployment would have limited impact if electoral offenders were not arrested and prosecuted.
“Nobody is arrested, nobody is prosecuted. At the end of the day, what we experience is no sanctions in Nigeria. It’s like anybody can go scot-free for what they do. We can’t have it like that,” she said.
Beyond security, Obi urged INEC to ensure that election results are uploaded directly from polling units after the relevant result forms have been completed and signed.
She argued that creating gaps between the completion of results at polling units and their transmission could provide opportunities for manipulation.
“What we can do is to hold them responsible. We are holding them accountable for what they are doing,” Obi said.
She added that civil society observers would monitor BIVAS performance through situation rooms and reporting channels during the election.
Obi described the Osun governorship poll as another major test of Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of 2027, urging INEC, security agencies, political parties and other stakeholders to protect the integrity of the process.
She said Nigerians should be allowed to vote freely and that the final results must accurately reflect the will of the electorate.
