Hackers can’t change our results, INEC assures

Commission receives cash from CBN

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians and the international community that its system for result transmission in the 2023 general elections cannot be penetrated by hackers.

Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu gave the assurance during a meeting with leaders of foreign observation missions at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The INEC chairman, who was speaking on how the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) works, said the results of the elections which would be transmitted to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) cannot be changed by hackers.

He said: “We are not transmitting raw figures. The law doesn’t allow for electronic transmission of results. Raw figures transmitted online are more susceptible to hacking whereas an image of a document is not susceptible to hacking and we have had experience conducting this over a long period of time.

“We have done this in 105 bye and off-cycle elections using this system of electronic transmission of results.”

Yakubu also disclosed that the commission has secured cash from the Central Bank of Nigeria for the successful conduct of the elections.

According to him, the commission is more relaxed and prepared for the election compared to the same period in 2019.

He said: “We are more relaxed now mainly because the electoral legal framework has changed. Parties are required to conduct their primaries and submit names to the commission long before the elections. Under the old law, we have 60 days to conduct the elections, but now we have 180 days.

“So parties were able to conduct their primaries in good time and they submitted names of their candidates six months to the elections. So we started preparing the sensitive materials once we know the parties contesting the elections and in which constituencies.

“This election however is being conducted under some challenges. The fuel situation, the currency issue and security challenges but we went out of our way to mobilise every national institution for the elections. We made arrangements with the national oil company for the supply of fuel for vehicles moving personnel and materials, particularly the arrangement we have with the port owners and road transport owners and we are happy with it.

“On the cash matter. We needed a little bit of money in cash, so we engage with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the apex bank has made available the small amount of cash that we required to pay for services that we cannot otherwise pay by electronic payment.”