"INEC Addresses Glitch in Real-Time Result Uploads: Detailed Explanation on the 2023 Presidential Election Challenges"
INEC provided the explanation about the failure of IReV for the 2in its 526-page 2023 General Elections Report published on its website on Friday.
INEC, Nigeria's electoral commission, has issued a comprehensive explanation for the unavailability of real-time presidential election results on the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) platform during the February 25, 2023 elections. The detailed clarification was presented in the 526-page 2023 General Elections Report published on Friday.
The post-election report acknowledged a significant challenge that affected public perception, stating that the failure to upload Polling Unit results for the presidential election on IReV in real-time was due to unforeseen complexities within the system. INEC had previously assured Nigerians of real-time result uploads on the IRev portal, and while results for National Assembly elections were successfully uploaded on the same day, the presidential results faced delays.
The delay led to criticism on social media, with accusations of INEC attempting to subvert the elections. This delay negatively impacted INEC's credibility in the contested presidential election, where candidates such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi raised concerns.
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The malfunction of IReV during the presidential election was highlighted by the Supreme Court during the judgment on election-related suits. The court noted that the non-functioning of IReV diminished public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC explained that the glitch was unique to the presidential election and stemmed from a technical challenge arising from the election's uniqueness. The report detailed the error in mapping the presidential election results due to its single, countrywide constituency status, unlike other elections mapped to specific states.
The commission engaged with field officers to identify the error's origin and implemented "Hotfixes" to resolve the HTTP error, successfully uploading the first presidential election result sheet at 8:55 pm on February 25, 2023. Additionally, the high volume of uploads and issues with the offline queue contributed to delays.
INEC assured that the glitch did not impact the election's outcome or credibility. The commission has since made improvements to the IReV, implemented additional measures for resilience, and conducted thorough checks to ensure optimal portal performance in subsequent elections. The report emphasized that political party agents and security personnel had access to polling unit results, mitigating any concerns about the delayed online uploads.
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