Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo has disclosed real reasons the political class is scared of the e-transmission of election results.
Speaking during an interview on ‘Sunday Politics’, a programme on Channels Television, Itodo said they are scared because of the power the electronic transmission of results has.
Recall that the Senate on Wednesday reportedly turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, sub-section 3 of the Electoral Amendment Bill that sought to make electronic transmission of election results compulsory.
“What you do about those vulnerabilities is that you institute mechanisms that limit the extent of vulnerability, so you prevent any form of attack, because there is no system in the world that is insulated from penetration.
“So let’s get that clear. But in this particular instance, what the political class seem to be scared of is the power that electronic transmission of results has.
“What does it do? It enhances the transparency of the process. It also ensures it has a deterrent effect, because at the lowest and perhaps the weakest link of our entire results management process is at the collation level. That is where results are manipulated.
“And what INEC did by introducing electronic transmission, whether it’s iReV, is the fact that after voting at the polling unit, you collate the results, enter the results sheets, and then upload it on a portal defined by INEC.
“That way it enhances accessibility, so that when it goes to the coalition centre, everyone already sees the result,” he said.
