INEC's Okoye Addresses 2023 Election Result Glitch

Festus Okoye, the former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), revealed that a technical challenge occurred during the 2023 general election, specifically affecting the uploading of presidential election results to the Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Okoye stated that the issue escalated into a crisis, with reports of electoral officers being beaten and injured as they struggled to resolve the problem.

He noted that the INEC chairman sought assurances from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) personnel regarding the situation, which quickly deteriorated. Okoye emphasized that the malfunction was a technological issue that was not well understood by the public.

He insisted on communicating the problem in plain language to Nigerians, rejecting the technical jargon initially proposed by officials. Despite extensive preparations for the election, Okoye expressed disappointment over the technical failure that occurred on polling day, stating that the technology had let them down.