Some protesters on 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 protesters in their numbers, who said they were members of different political parties, were expressing dissatisfaction over the refusal to use electronic transmission of results as promised by the electoral umpire before the election.
Speaking with newsmen during the protest which took place at Emeka Anyaoku street (about a kilometre to the coalition centre), one of the protesters, Ilemona Onoja, said their major demand is for the INEC Chairman to fulfill what he promised Nigerians repeatedly before the election, which is a transparent and open process.
According to Onoja, the process is not being followed. “Instead what we are seeing is a situation where results that were written, that didn’t follow the process, are being announced as the results of the election contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act, contrary to the INEC guidelines that they issued, and contrary to the promises of the INEC chairman,” he said.
“We came out on the 25th of February to cast our votes for our preferred candidates. We were told that a process was going to be followed. This process involves accreditation, voting and our ballots will be counted. After it has been counted, it will be transmitted directly to a central server. And that on the day of the election, at the national collation centre, that central server will be displayed and we will be able to follow the results.
“Now, all we are saying is, we don’t mind if our preferred candidate loses, just give us a transparent and open process. Let us be able to see the results. INEC promised us they will follow a certain procedure, we are asking them to follow it,” he added.